Taranto was bigger than Rome in the 4th century BC. The MArTA holds the most extraordinary goldwork of Magna Graecia. One of the most important museums in Europe.
Plan your trip →The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto, MArTA, is one of the most important museums of Magna Graecia antiquities in the world and one of the most underrated in southern Italy. Between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, Taranto was the most powerful Greek colony in ancient Italy, bigger than Rome at that time. The MArTA holds the material legacy of that greatness: goldwork of extraordinary quality, top-level figured pottery, votive terracottas, bronzes, and the famous "hours of Taranto," the solid-gold statuettes that the Tarentine nobles dedicated to the temples. It's a museum that completely changes one's perception of southern Italy.
The goldwork collection at the MArTA in Taranto is considered the most important in the world for the Magna Graecia of the 4th-3rd century BC. The jewelry recovered from the Tarentine necropolises, necklaces, earrings, diadems, bracelets, fibulae, is made of solid gold with granulation and filigree techniques of a precision unmatched in the ancient world. Granulation, the technique of soldering tiny gold spheres with no visible binder, achieved through a chemical process still hard to interpret today, produces objects of incomparable beauty. Visiting the goldwork room at the MArTA is one of the most intense visual experiences in any museum of antiquities in Italy.
The MArTA in Taranto holds the most important collection of Greek goldwork of Magna Graecia (gold jewelry of the 4th-3rd century BC), top-quality red-figure pottery, votive terracottas, bronzes, weapons, and everyday objects from the Greek colony of Taranto. The collection comprises over 50,000 objects, of which about 3,000 are on permanent display.
Taranto (Taras in Greek) was founded by Spartan colonists in 706 BC, the only colony founded by Sparta in all of Magna Graecia. For three centuries it was the most powerful colony in southern Italy: at its peak, in the 4th century BC, it had an estimated population of 300,000 (Rome had about 150,000 in the same period). Taranto was an ally of Athens in the arts and culture but kept Sparta's military traditions. The strategist and Pythagorean philosopher Archytas of Taranto led the city for decades, a unique case in ancient history of a democracy led by a philosopher. After the Tarentine War (282-272 BC) and the Roman conquest, the city declined steadily. The founding of the National Museum of Taranto dates to 1887, during the systematic excavations that brought to light the necropolises with their extraordinary goldwork.
The MArTA is at Via Cavour 10, in the historic center of Taranto, steps from the Castello Aragonese. Taranto is reachable by train from Bari (1h20) and Lecce (1h). By car: the A14 motorway toward Taranto. The museum is a 10-minute walk from Taranto's Stazione Centrale.
Yes, the MArTA is one of the best museums in southern Italy and one of the most important in Europe for Greek antiquity. The goldwork collection alone justifies the trip. Taranto is a complex city, with a historic center on an island and industrial problems tied to the ILVA steelworks, but the museum is absolutely worth a stop on a Puglia itinerary.
How do you find a quality hotel in Italy without overspending? Book ahead for the main cities. Consider B&Bs and agriturismi, often better quality than hotels at the same price. Always check the reviews in Italian for a more balanced perspective.
What do you do in an emergency in Italy? The single European number 112 for all emergencies. Police: 113. Ambulance: 118. It works from any SIM, even without credit.
How do Italians treat tourists? Generally welcoming. An attempt to speak Italian, even just buongiorno, grazie, is appreciated. The intention counts more than the result.
How do you handle the Italian summer heat? July and August top 35°C in many cities. The museums are ideal air-conditioned refuges in the middle of the day. Drink plenty of water from the public fountains (safe and free).
Which Italian national holidays should you know about? 1 gen, 6 gen, Pasqua/Lunedì, 25 apr, 1 mag, 2 giu, 15 ago (Ferragosto, l'Italia si ferma), 1 nov, 8 dic, 25-26 dic. Musei e negozi riducono o chiudono in questi giorni.
How do you dress to visit churches and religious sites in Italy? Cover your shoulders and knees. Carry a light scarf in your backpack. The most visited churches (the Vatican, Assisi) have attendants who enforce the dress code at the entrance.
What about tipping in Italy? Not required. At a restaurant, rounding up the bill or leaving €1-2 per person is enough. A service charge added to the bill (if noted on the menu) doesn't call for an additional tip.
How do you use the taxi app in Italy? itTaxi is the main app for licensed taxis throughout Italy. It works like Uber, booking, tracking, and payment in the app. Uber is available only in some cities (Rome, Milan) with limited coverage.
Do you need internet in Italy without roaming? Italian SIMs: TIM, Vodafone, WindTre. €15-25 for 10-30 GB. European visitors use their own EU plan at no extra cost. In the historic centers, the wifi at bars and hotels is generally good.
How do you find a public restroom in Italy? Public restrooms are rare on Italian streets. Bars are required by law to have restrooms accessible to customers; order a coffee and use the facilities. Train stations and museums always have restrooms.
1. Italy's "abandoned" villages or houses for sale at 1 euro really do exist: dozens of towns in Sicily, Molise, Abruzzo, and Sardinia have launched programs to sell houses at symbolic prices to attract new residents. The conditions vary: some require investment and actual residency.
2. The most ignored road sign in Italy is the "one way" in the historic cities. If you drive, always check the direction of the blue signs at the entrance to every lane: many are one-way and the ZTL cameras are everywhere.
3. In Italy there's a "phantom booking" problem at very popular restaurants: some people call to reserve with no intention of coming, leaving tables empty. Many restaurants now ask for a credit card at booking, a sign of quality and seriousness.
4. The difference between "house wine" and "bottled wine" in an Italian osteria isn't necessarily one of quality: the house bulk wine in a good Tuscan or Umbrian osteria can be better than many bottled wines at the same price.
5. Italian pharmacies are museums of local health culture: every region has its own herbal specialties, traditional preparations, and supplements you won't find outside that area. A look around a pharmacy in Sicily, Sardinia, or Alto Adige turns up some genuinely interesting products.
The rule of three: No more than three major sights a day. The human brain can meaningfully process about three intense experiences a day. People who try to see five museums in a day tend to remember less than those who see two at a calm pace. The perfect Italian itinerary favors depth over quantity.
Mornings for the sites, afternoons for the city: In Italy the mornings are for museums, churches, and ruins, cool and with the best light. The afternoons are for the walk, the market, the coffee, the aperitivo. The evenings for dinner (never before 19:30 at quality restaurants).
A day with no plan: Every three or four days of intense sightseeing, take a day with no agenda. Walk with no destination, step into the open churches, sit in a piazza. The unplanned experiences are often the most memorable.
Buy the perishables last: The Italian food products you want to bring home (cheeses, cured meats, artisan pasta) are best bought in the final days of the trip to keep them fresh. Many producers will vacuum-pack on request to make transport easier.
Learn at least twenty words of Italian: Buongiorno, buonasera, grazie, prego, scusi, dov'e, quanto costa, il conto, acqua naturale/frizzante, un caffe, per favore, mi piace, non capisco, parla inglese?, aiuto. These twenty words radically change the quality of everyday interactions in Italy.
Italy has 58 UNESCO sites (the country with the most in the world). It has over 4,000 museums. It has about 40,000 historic churches open for worship. It has 5,500 km of coastline with 7,600 km of shoreline. It produces 20% of the world's DOP/IGP wine. It has 55 cheeses with a protected designation. It has 43 cured meats and seafood products that are DOP/IGP. It has 300+ documented pasta shapes. The number of medieval bell towers exceeds any other European country. By some estimates, 70% of the world's artistic heritage (paintings, sculptures, frescoes) is in Italy.
State museums: museiitaliani.it, portale ufficiale con elenco completo e prenotazioni.
Treni: trenitalia.com and italotreno.it for high-speed; trenitalia.com for regional trains.
Previsioni meteo: meteo.aeronautica.difesa.it, the most accurate for Italian territory.
Patrimoni UNESCO: whc.unesco.org, elenco ufficiale con mappe e descrizioni.
Turismo regionale: Every Italian region has its own official tourism portal; look for them for local detail the general guides don't cover.
Ristoranti: The Michelin, Gambero Rosso, and Touring Club Italiano guides are the most reliable sources for quality restaurants. TripAdvisor is useful but should be filtered for Italian-language reviews.
Vini: The Gambero Rosso (Vini d'Italia), Slow Food (Slow Wine), and AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier) guides are the main reference sources for Italian wine.
Sicurezza: The State Police site (poliziadistato.it) has useful information in English on travelers' rights and how to file a report.
What's the portal for Italy's UNESCO sites called? The Italian Ministry of Culture (cultura.gov.it) has a section on UNESCO heritage. Each site has its own official website with current information on hours, prices, and bookings.
How do you reach the lesser-known sites without a car? For the smaller sites not served by train, carpooling apps like BlaBlaCar or local taxis (often bookable through the local B&Bs) are good alternatives. In the medieval inland villages, some local associations run shuttles for visitors; ask at the tourist office of the nearest town.
How do you find the right local-products shop in Italy? Avoid the shops within 100 meters of the main monuments: they're almost always tourist-oriented with inauthentic products. Look for the artisan workshops on the side streets of the old town, the morning neighborhood markets, and the shops that display the region-certified "Prodotto di Qualità" logo.
How do you tell if an agriturismo is authentic? Real Italian agriturismi produce at least part of the food they serve on site (fruit, vegetables, oil, wine, cheese). Always ask what's produced on the farm and what's bought elsewhere. The best agriturismi hold the Agriturist or Campagna Amica recognition, two certifications that guarantee minimum standards of farm production.