Good Friday in Taranto

Taranto, not Toronto, and with accent on the first syllable, leaped onto our radar when our tentative itinerary put us in Apulia for Easter Week or Settimana di Pasqua as it's called in Italian. Taranto has one of the best Good Friday processions in southern Italy; the Procession of the Mysteries. However, the pubic transport scheme from Martina Franca to Taranto and back limited our visit to the day's earlier procession, the Adoration of Mary. The weather was good and the procession amazing. We may return...

The image of Mary is slowly carried down the people lined corso, proceeded and followed by dirge playing brass bands and men wearing white hoods and black hats slowing swaying from side to side. It will be 5 hours until she is safely returned, up the stairs and into the Church of San Dominico.














Some of the men walk with their families.


Some solitary men carry a cross and walk barefoot


And finally up into San Dominico.








We did not follow the entire procession, optimizing our time by visiting the very good Archaeological Museum of Taranto. The first floor was closed but we enjoyed the second floor's extensive collection of 2nd to 4th century Roman artifacts, most dug up in the streets around the museum.


And by checking out the waterfront. Old Town Taranto is on a narrow peninsula.




How about this muscular modern building on the waterfront.


Some snacks to eat on the 5pm bus back to Martina Franca.