Taranto was one of the great cities of Magna Graecia — founded by Spartans in 706 BC, home to Archytas (the mathematician-philosopher who may have invented the first robot), and the most powerful Greek colony in southern Italy. The MArTA (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Taranto) is one of the finest archaeological museums in Italy — the Ori di Taranto (Gold of Taranto) collection of Greek jewelry is the most important outside Athens. The city has two personalities: the Città Vecchia (old town on an island between the Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo, connected by a swing bridge and dominated by the Aragonese Castle) is being renovated after decades of neglect, while the Città Nuova has the museum, the lungomare, and the modern port. Taranto is a work in progress: the old town is atmospheric but rough, the museum is world-class, and the city's effort to reclaim its identity from the ILVA steel plant legacy is one of the most interesting urban stories in southern Italy.
Plan my Taranto cruise day →Walk/taxi from port to MArTA (15min). The Ori di Taranto: Greek gold jewelry — diadems, earrings, bracelets, rings — made in Tarentine workshops (4th-3rd century BC) with a finesse that rivals anything produced today. The BEST collection of Greek jewelry in the world. Also: Corinthian and Attic pottery, the Taranto Athletes (terracotta figures), Messapian artifacts. €8. 2 hours minimum. Walk to the Città Vecchia (old town island): Cross the Ponte Girevole (swing bridge — it opens for naval ships, a Taranto spectacle). Walk through the narrow lanes — churches (Cattedrale di San Cataldo, 11th century — the oldest part of the Duomo with 13th-century frescoes), medieval palazzi (some restored, some crumbling), and the views over the Mar Piccolo (the inner sea). Castello Aragonese (15th century): The massive waterfront castle — guided tours by the Italian Navy (free, schedule at marina.difesa.it). Lunch: Trattoria Gesù Cristo (Città Vecchia — €20-30, cozze tarantine — Taranto mussels from the Mar Piccolo).
Taranto's mussels (cozze) are the most famous in Italy — farmed in the Mar Piccolo (the inner lagoon), they have a distinctive sweet flavor. The mussel experience: visit a cozze stall on the old town waterfront (raw mussels cracked open and eaten on the spot — €3-5 for a generous portion. For the brave only — raw shellfish has risks). Or eat them cooked at a trattoria (cozze alla marinara, cozze gratinate, tiella di riso patate e cozze — the Tarantine rice-potato-mussel bake). Walk the Mar Piccolo lungomare for the mussel farms visible in the water (wooden poles marking the cultivation lines). The swing bridge opening: If a naval vessel is scheduled, the Ponte Girevole opens — ask at the port authority or your hotel for timing.
Theme: Taranto as a Spartan colony — what does a Greek colony look like 2,700 years later? MArTA: Focus on the athletic terracottas (Taranto hosted games rivaling Olympia), the gold (discuss: where did the wealth come from? Trade routes, purple dye, wool, pottery), and the cultural exchange between Greek colonists and indigenous Messapians. The old town: The layers — Greek foundations, Roman modifications, medieval rebuilding, modern occupation. Budget: €10-15/student (museum + guide share). Lunch: panzerotto + arancino from street stalls (€3-5/student).