Taranto was Sparta's ONLY colony. Founded 706 BC, it became the richest city in Magna Graecia (the Greek colonies of southern Italy). The MArTA (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto) houses the evidence: Greek gold jewelry so intricate modern goldsmiths can't replicate it, pottery painted by the finest vase painters outside Athens, and the tomb contents of the "Athlete of Taranto" — a 5th-century BC athlete buried with his gold crown, aryballos (oil flask), and strigil (body scraper). It's the most important archaeological museum in southern Italy after MANN in Naples. And Taranto — a naval city with a stunning old town on an island — gets almost zero tourists. Puglia guide →
Gold Room: The crown jewel — Greek and Hellenistic gold jewelry (4th-2nd c. BC) of extraordinary refinement. Earrings with granulation so fine it approaches the molecular level. Diadems, necklaces, rings with cameos. The Ori di Taranto (Gold of Taranto) is the finest collection of Magna Graecia goldwork in existence. Athlete of Taranto: Complete tomb goods of a young athlete — gold olive crown, bronze strigil and aryballos, pottery offering vessels. Displayed as they were found in the burial. Pottery collection: Apulian red-figure vases (4th c. BC) — the largest collection outside Athens. Mythological scenes painted with a detail and expressiveness that equals the best Athenian workshops. Terracotta sculpture: Archaic and Classical Greek terracottas from Taranto's temples — kouros figures, votive offerings, theatrical masks.
Via Cavour 10, Taranto. €8. Open Tue-Sat 8:30am-7:30pm, Sun 9am-1pm. Duration: 1.5-2h. From Lecce: 1h30 train. From Bari: 1h30 train. Combine: MArTA + Taranto old town (Città Vecchia — island between two seas, Norman castle, fish market) + the Spartan columns (2 surviving Doric columns from the Temple of Poseidon, on the lungomare). Taranto is a rough diamond — the old town needs restoration, the naval base dominates the landscape, but the museum and the Greek heritage make it essential for anyone serious about ancient Italy.