Italy: An Overnight in Taranto

Objective: Traverse the "sole" of the Italian Boot by train, traveling from the "heel" to the "toe" during daylight hours. The ideal starting point for this journey is Taranto, where we'll catch the 9:23 train to Reggio Calabria. We previously visited Taranto on a day trip from Martina Franca in 2016 to witness the Good Friday procession and explore the Archaeological Museum. See our blog post here. This time, we'll be staying overnight in the Borgo Antico (Old Town), an artificial island between two peninsulas that retains its circa 1000 AD street plan.

Heading to Taranto, we boarded the noon bus from Gallipoli, which stopped at the massive steel mill and iron foundry north of Taranto (presumably to drop off second-shift workers) before transporting us to the bus station. A colossal oil refinery also sits on Taranto's northern side.


A lone stone pine.


Worker Entrance to the Acciaierie d'Italia Steel Mill.


After settling into our hotel, we set out on a stroll through the medieval streets of the Old Town, encountering two ancient Doric columns and the robust walls of Castello Aragonese along the way.








The City Hall. Striking!


Then a pouring rain. Our umbrellas shielded us, and the main pedestrian street was lit with holiday lights, making the downpour bearable.




Dimly lit (1st below), the Duomo nonetheless revealed its vibrant hues – the colorful altar, mosaic panels, and ceiling frescoes."








Evening Mass at Chiesa di San Domenico


The next morning, we rose early and took a brief stroll along the Taranto waterfront from which one could see the vast shellfish farms in the bay. Then boarded the 9:23 train bound for Reggio Calabria and the ferry to Sicily.