What to see in Taranto, one-day itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including Aragonese Castle, Cathedral of San Cataldo and Archaeological Museum.
Tourist information
Taranto is a city in Puglia overlooking the Ionian Sea, in the innermost part of the homonymous gulf.
Capital of Magna Grecia, a Roman, late ancient and early medieval city, until modern and contemporary times, Taranto boasts an extraordinary artistic and architectural heritage.
The inhabited area occupies an island and two small peninsulas, which are located between the lagoon area of the Mare Piccolo and the large marine inlet of the Mare Grande, which in turn laps Capo San Vito to the north and the islands that separate it from the Ionian Sea.
The island, where the old city stands, was part of the mainland until 1481, when it was separated by building a canal in order to protect its inhabitants from Saracen raids.
It is connected to the mainland by two bridges, the stone one or Porta Napoli, dedicated to Sant’Egidio from Taranto, and the revolving one named after San Francesco di Paola, which connects the island of Borgo Antico with the peninsula of Borgo Nuovo.
Crossing the swing bridge, you reach the island of the ancient village where the imposing Aragonese Castle stands, or Castel Sant’Angelo, built at the end of the fifteenth century at the behest of Ferdinand II of Aragon, on a previous fortification.
The fortress, built as a military work, with cylindrical towers and internal walkways, has inside a valuable Renaissance chapel dedicated to San Leonardo.
In 1707 under the rule of the Habsburgs, the castle lost its importance as a military work and became a prison, while with Napoleon the fortress regained its original function.
Since 1887, the Castle has been the seat of the Navy, which opens the structure to guided tours, cultural events and shows.
What see
In the ancient village there is the Cathedral of San Cataldo, a splendid work in Romanesque and Baroque style.
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It was built at the end of the eleventh century on a previous Byzantine construction of the previous century, while the baroque facade was added in the eighteenth century.
On the side of the main altar of the Cathedral is the chapel of San Cataldo, where the remains of the saint are kept, a true masterpiece of Baroque art in Puglia.
Near the Duomo stands the church of San Domenico Maggiore, built at the beginning of the fourteenth century on the ancient Byzantine structure of San Pietro Imperiale.
Very beautiful is the double baroque staircase that rises in front of the facade of the church.
Inside the cloister of the former convent of San Domenico Maggiore, built about fifty years after the church of the same name, a large archaeological area extends, inhabited since prehistoric times, where you can admire the remains of a temple dating back to sixth century BC, as well as traces of the Roman age.
Today the convent is the seat of the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Puglia.
The Archaeological Museum of Taranto, MArTA, is located in the Convent of San Pasquale, or of the Alcantarini friars.
The exhibition concerns the history of Taranto and its territory, from prehistory to the early medieval period, through finds coming largely from archaeological excavations.
In addition, the museum also boasts a collection of paintings that in 1909, Monsignor Giuseppe Ricciardi, bishop of Nardò, wanted to donate to his hometown.
There are numerous archaeological areas visible on the territory, such as the Archaeological Area of Largo San Martino, the Necropolis Area of Via Marche, the Crypt of the Redeemer, the Hypogeum of the Bridges Via di Mezzo, the Chamber Tomb of Piazza Pio XII , the four chamber tomb of Via Pasubio and the Tomb of the Athletes.
