View source for Taranto

{{For|the World War II naval battle|Battle of Taranto}}
{{Redirect|Tarantine|the dialect spoken in Taranto|Tarantino dialect|other uses|Tarentum (disambiguation)}}
{{Hatnote|Not to be confused with the city of [[Otranto]], also in Apulia; with [[Toronto]], Canada; or with ''[[television personalities in Japan#Tarento|tarento]]'' ("talent"), Japanese television personalities.}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                   = Taranto
| official_name          = Comune di Taranto
| native_name            = {{native name|nap|Tarde}}<br/>{{native name|el|Tárantas}}
| image_skyline          = {{multiple image
 |total_width            = 300px
 |perrow                 = 2/2/2
 |border                 = infobox
 |image1                 = Ponte Girevole (Taranto) 01.jpg
 |alt1                   = 
 |image2                 = Taranto - Duomo di San Cataldo - 01.jpg
 |alt2                   = 
 |image3                 = City Hall of Taranto.jpg
 |alt3                   = 
 |image4                 = Taranto - Castello Aragonese - 2.jpg
 |alt4                   = 
 |image5                 = Palazzo del governo - Taranto.jpg
 |alt5                   = 
 }}
| imagesize              =
| image_alt              =
|image_flag=Taranto-Bandiera.svg| image_caption          = From the top, left to right: San Francesco de Paola Bridge and the Taranto Cathedral; City hall and the [[Castello Aragonese (Taranto)|Aragon Castle]]; and the Palace of Government
| image_shield           = Taranto-Stemma.svg
| shield_alt             =
| image_map              =
| map_alt                =
| map_caption            =
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_alt        =
| coordinates            = {{coord|40|28|16|N|17|14|35|E|region:IT-TA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes  =
| region                 = [[Apulia]]
| province               = [[Province of Taranto|Taranto]] (TA)
| frazioni               = Talsano, Lido Azzurro, Lama, San Vito, San Donato
| mayor_party            = 
| mayor                  = Piero Bitetti
| area_footnotes         =
| area_total_km2         = 249.86
| population_footnotes   =<ref>{{cite web|title=Monthly Demographic Balance|url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?l=en&a=&i=D7B|publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
| population_total       = 185909
| population_as_of       = 2025
| population_demonym     = {{plainlist|
*Tarantino
*Tarentino
}}
| elevation_footnotes    =
| elevation_min_m        = 3
| elevation_max_m        = 431
| twin1                  =
| twin1_country          =
| istat                  =
| saint                  = Saint [[Catald]] of Taranto
| day                    = 10 May 
| postal_code            = 74121, 74122, 74123
| area_code              = (+39)099
| website                = {{official website|http://www.comune.taranto.it/}}
|footnotes={{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 |child    = yes
 |Part_of  = [[Appian Way|Via Appia. Regina Viarum]]
 |ID       = 1708-013
 |Year     = 2024
 |Criteria = Cultural: iii, iv, vi
 }}}}

'''Taranto''' ({{IPA|it|ˈtaːranto|lang|It-Taranto.ogg}}; {{langx|nap|label=[[Tarantino dialect|Tarantino]]|Tarde}}),{{efn|{{langx|it|label=[[Old Italian]]|Tarento}};<ref>{{cite book |author=Eric Partridge |title=Origins: a short etymological dictionary of modern English |year=1966 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=67EUAQAAIAAJ&q=taranto+tarento |page=695 |publisher=Routledge & Kegan Paul |isbn=9780710019349 |access-date=12 December 2014 |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914232424/https://books.google.com/books?id=67EUAQAAIAAJ&q=taranto+tarento |url-status=live }}</ref> {{langx|la|Tarentum}};<ref>{{cite book |last=Gigante |first=Nicola |year=2002 |title=Dizionario della parlata Tarantina |language=it,nap |publisher=Mandese editore |page=850}}</ref> {{langx|grc|Τάρᾱς|Tárās}}; {{langx|el|Τάραντας|translit=Tárantas|label=[[Modern Greek]]}}.}} historically also called '''Tarent''' in English, is a coastal city in [[Apulia]], [[Southern Italy]]. It is the capital of the [[province of Taranto]], serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldportsource.com/ports/ITA_Port_of_Taranto_1173.php |title=Port of Taranto |publisher=World Port Source |access-date=16 September 2011}}</ref> With a population of 185,909 as of 2025, Taranto is the [[List of municipalities of Apulia|second-largest]] city in Apulia.<ref name=population>[http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?PR=35&T=2&SR=1&S=3&O=D Population statistics and land area] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317191603/http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?PR=35&T=2&SR=1&S=3&O=D |date=17 March 2007 }}, Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved 5 December 2006.</ref>

Founded by Spartans in the 8th century BC during the period of [[Greek colonisation]], Taranto was among the most important ''[[Polis|poleis]]'' in [[Magna Graecia]], becoming a cultural, economic and military power that gave birth to philosophers, strategists, writers and athletes such as [[Archytas]], [[Aristoxenus]], [[Livius Andronicus]], [[Heracleides of Tarentum|Heracleides]], [[Iccus of Taranto|Iccus]], [[Cleinias of Tarentum|Cleinias]], [[Leonidas of Tarentum|Leonidas]], [[Lysis of Taras|Lysis]] and [[Sosibius of Tarentum|Sosibius]]. By 500 BC, the city was among the largest in the world, with a population estimated up to 300,000 people.<ref>{{cite book |last=Oppenheimer |first=Michael |date=1 January 2002 |title=The Monuments of Italy: A Regional Survey of Art, Architecture and Archaeology from Classical to Modern Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HooTAQAAIAAJ&q=ancient%20tarento%20300,000%20inhabitants |access-date=26 December 2016 |publisher=Tauris |isbn=9781860645709 |via=Google Books |archive-date=13 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313162835/https://books.google.com/books?id=HooTAQAAIAAJ&q=ancient%20tarento%20300,000%20inhabitants |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Halsey |first1=William Darrach |last2=Friedman |first2=Emanuel |date=1 January 1986 |title=Collier's Encyclopedia, with Bibliography and Index |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9sAJAAAAIAAJ&q=late%206th%20century%20tarentum%20population%20300,000 |access-date=26 December 2016 |publisher=Macmillan Educational Company |via=Google Books |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914232424/https://books.google.com/books?id=9sAJAAAAIAAJ&q=late%206th%20century%20tarentum%20population%20300,000 |url-status=live }}</ref> The seven-year rule of [[Archytas]] marked the apex of its development and recognition of its [[hegemony]] over other [[Greek colonisation|Greek colonies]] of southern Italy.

During the [[Normans|Norman]] period, it became the capital of the [[Principality of Taranto]], which covered almost all of the heel of [[Apulia]].

Taranto is now the third-largest continental city in southern Italy (south of Rome, roughly the southern half of the Italian peninsula), with well-developed steel and iron foundries, oil refineries, chemical works, naval shipyards and food-processing factories. Taranto will host the [[2026 Mediterranean Games]].

The islets of ''[[Cheradi Islands|S. Pietro]]'' and ''[[San Paolo Island|S. Paolo]]'' (St. Peter and St. Paul), collectively known as [[Cheradi Islands]], protect the bay, called ''Mar Grande'' (''Big Sea''), where the commercial port is located.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Taranto is known for the large population of [[dolphin]]s and other [[cetacea]]ns living near these islands. Another bay, called ''Mar Piccolo'' (''Little Sea''), is formed by the peninsula of the old city and has flourishing [[fishing]].{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

==Etymology==
The [[Greeks|Greek]] colonists from [[Sparta]] called the city '''Taras''' ({{lang|grc|Τάρᾱς}}, <small>[[Genitive case|gen.]]</small> {{lang|grc|Τάραντος}} {{Transliteration|grc|Tárantos}}) after the mythical hero [[Taras (mythology)|Taras]], while the [[Rome|Romans]], who connected the city to Rome with an extension of the [[Appian Way]], called it '''Tarentum'''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Strabo, Geography, BOOK VI., CHAPTER III., section 2 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Strab.+6.3.2 |access-date=2025-04-24 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>

==History==
{{main|History of Taranto|Timeline of Taranto}}
[[File:Temple of Poseidon (Taranto).jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Doric columns]] from the Temple of Poseidon in Taranto, legacy of its Greek origins.]]
Taranto was founded in 706 BC by [[Dorians|Dorian Greek]] immigrants hailing from [[Sparta]]. Its origin is peculiar: the founders were [[Partheniae]] ("sons of virgins"), sons of unmarried Spartan women and ''[[Perioeci]]'' (free men, but not citizens of Sparta); these out-of-wedlock unions were permitted extraordinarily by the Spartans to increase the prospective number of soldiers (only the citizens of Sparta could become soldiers) during the bloody [[Messenian Wars]], but later they were retroactively nullified, and the sons were then obliged to leave Greece forever. [[Phalanthus of Tarentum|Phalanthus]], the Parthenian leader and founder ([[Oikistes]]), went to [[Delphi]] to consult the [[Sibyl|oracle]]: the puzzling answer designated the harbour of Taranto as the new home of the exiles. The Partheniae arrived in Apulia, and founded the city, naming it ''Taras'' after the son of the Greek sea god, [[Poseidon]], and of a local [[nymph]],<ref>{{citation |author=Pausanias |title=Pausaniae Graeciae Descriptio |place=Leipzig |publisher=Teubner |year=1903 |chapter=10.10.8 |chapter-url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0159%3Abook%3D10%3Achapter%3D10%3Asection%3D8 |language=el |access-date=21 February 2021 |archive-date=29 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929125402/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0159%3Abook%3D10%3Achapter%3D10%3Asection%3D8 |url-status=live }}.</ref> {{citation needed span|text=Satyrion.|date=March 2018}} According to other sources, [[Heracles]] founded the city. Another tradition indicates Taras as the founder of the city; the symbol of the Greek city (as well as of the modern city) depicts the legend of Taras being saved from a shipwreck by riding a dolphin that was sent to him by Poseidon. Taranto increased its power, becoming a commercial power and a sovereign city of [[Magna Graecia]].<ref name="italythisway1">{{cite web |url=http://www.italythisway.com/places/articles/taranto-history.php |title=History of Taranto |publisher=Italythisway.com |access-date=16 September 2011 |archive-date=5 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405090650/http://www.italythisway.com/places/articles/taranto-history.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
Politically and militarily, [[Archytas]] appeared to have been the dominant figure in Tarentum in the first half of the 4th century, somewhat comparable to [[Pericles]] in [[Athens]] a half-century earlier.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Despotopoulos |first=Constantin |date=2004-11-01 |title=Archytas' Logismos and Logistika |url=https://www.pdcnet.org/pdc/bvdb.nsf/purchase?openform&fp=philinquiry&id=philinquiry_2004_0026_0003_0001_0009 |journal=Philosophical Inquiry |language=en |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.5840/philinquiry200426311|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The Tarentines elected him ''[[strategos]]'' ("general") seven years in a row, a step that required them to violate their own rule against successive appointments. Archytas was allegedly undefeated as a general in Tarentine campaigns against their southern Italian neighbors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=M. R. |date=2008 |title=Sources for the Philosophy of Archytas |url=https://philarchive.org/rec/JOHSFT |access-date=2023-10-30 |website=philarchive.org |language=en}}</ref>

In 303, [[Sparta]] sent [[Cleonymus of Sparta|Cleonymus]], the brother of king [[Areus I]], commanding mercenary armies with official support in order to help Tarentum against [[Lucanians]] and the [[Roman Republic]].<ref>Cartledge, ''Hellenistic and Roman Sparta'', p. 27.</ref> Tarentum's power and independence came to an end as the Romans expanded throughout Italy. Taranto fought against Rome for the control of Southern Italy: it was helped by [[Pyrrhus of Epirus|Pyrrhus]], [[Molossian]]  king of Greek [[Epirus (ancient state)|Epirus]],<ref name="italythisway1"/> who surprised Rome with the use of [[war elephant]]s in [[battle of Heraclea]], a thing never seen before by the Romans. After the Pyrrhic victory at the [[battle of Asculum]] they lost the battle of Beneventum in 275 BC. Tarentum surrendered to Rome after the death of Pyrrhus in Peloponnese in 272 BC. This subsequently cut off Taranto from the centre of Mediterranean trade, by connecting the [[Via Appia]] directly to the port of Brundisium ([[Brindisi]]).

===Ancient art===
{{see also|Apulian vase painting|Greek coinage of Italy and Sicily}}
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
Like many Greek city states, Taras issued its own coins in the 5th and 4th centuries BC.  The denomination was a Nomos, a die-cast silver coin whose weight, size and purity were controlled by the state.  The highly artistic coins presented the symbol of the city, Taras being saved by a dolphin, with the reverse side showing the likeness of a [[hippocamp]], a horse-fish amalgam which is depicted in mythology as the beast that drew Poseidon's chariot.

Taras was also the centre of a thriving decorated [[Greek pottery]] industry during the 4th century BC.  Most of the [[South Italian]] Greek vessels known as [[Basilican]] ware were made in different workshops in the city.

Unfortunately, none of the names of the artists have survived, so modern scholars have been obliged to give the recognizable artistic hands and workshops nicknames based on the subject matter of their works, museums which possess the works, or individuals who have distinguished the works from others.  Some of the most famous of the Apulian vase painters at Taras are now called: the [[Iliupersis Painter]], the [[Lycurgus Painter]], the [[Gioia del Colle Painter]], the [[Darius Painter]], the [[Underworld Painter]], and the [[White Sakkos Painter]], among others.

The wares produced by these workshops were usually large elaborate vessels intended for mortuary use.  The forms produced included [[volute krater]]s, [[loutrophoros|loutrophoroi]], [[patera]]i, [[oinochoe|oinochoai]], [[lekythos|lekythoi]], [[fish plate]]s, etc.  The decoration of these vessels was [[red figure]] (with figures reserved in red clay fabric, while the background was covered in a black gloss), with overpainting ([[sovradipinto]]) in white, pink, yellow, and maroon slips.

Often the style of the drawings is florid and frilly, as was already the fashion in 4th-century Athens.  Distinctive South Italian features also begin to appear. Many figures are shown seated on rocks.  Floral motifs become very ornate, including spiraling vines and leaves, [[rose]]s, [[lily|lilies]], [[poppy|poppies]], sprays of [[Lauraceae|laurel]], [[Acanthus (plant)|acanthus leaves]]. Often the subject matter consists of naiskos scenes (scenes showing the statue of a deceased person in a naos, a miniature temple or shrine). Most often the naiskos scene occupies one side of the vase, while a mythological scene occupies the other. Images depicting many of the Greek myths are only known from South Italian vases, since Athenian ones seem to have had more limited repertoires of depiction.
[[file:Tarentum.jpg|Ancient coin from Taranto, with the eponym [[Taras (mythology)|Taras]] hero riding a dolphin.|thumb]]

===World War II===
The [[Battle of Taranto]] took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the [[World War II|Second World War]] between British naval forces, under Admiral [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope|Andrew Cunningham]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-01-08 |title=Taranto : Battles : History : Royal Navy |url=http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1593 |access-date=2024-11-18 |archive-date=8 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108141316/http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1593 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> and Italian naval forces, under Admiral [[Inigo Campioni]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Caravaggio |first=Angelo |date=2018-04-02 |title=The Attack at Taranto |url=https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol59/iss3/8/ |journal=Naval War College Review |volume=59 |issue=3 |issn=0028-1484}}</ref> The [[Royal Navy]] launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, employing 21 [[Fairey Swordfish]] biplane [[torpedo bomber]]s from the [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Illustrious|R87|6}} in the [[Mediterranean Sea]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of Taranto |url=https://navywings.org.uk/portfolio/battle-of-taranto/ |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=Navy Wings |language=en-GB}}</ref> The attack struck the battle fleet of the ''[[Regia Marina]]'' at anchor in the harbour of Taranto, using [[aerial torpedo]]es despite the shallowness of the water.<ref name=navywings>{{Cite web |title=Taranto - The Impact and Long View of History |url=https://navywings.org.uk/portfolio/taranto-the-impact/ |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=Navy Wings |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===The Taranto Prize (Premio Taranto)===
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
The Taranto Prize, defined as the "Biennial of the South", was a biennial cultural event that took place between 1947 and 1951.
It was born on the initiative of thirty-year-old veterans who, returning from the [[Second World War]], gathered in the «Cultural Club (Circolo della cultura)» and the newspaper 'Voce del Popolo'. The coordinator, Antonio Rizzo, was a physicist who graduated with Enrico Fermi. He intended to promote a new cultural impulse of a pacifist nature for the city.
The event was structured into two sections: literature and painting. Several artists of international calibre, such as [[Pier Paolo Pasolini]], [[Carlo Emilio Gadda]], and [[Giorgio de Chirico]], participated.
The theme of the competition was the sea.

===2006 municipal bankruptcy===
The Municipality of Taranto was declared bankrupt effective 31 December 2005, having accrued liabilities of €357 million.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dissesto Taranto, s'insediano i liquidatori |url=https://www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it/news/puglia/55821/dissesto-taranto-s-insediano-i-liquidatori.html |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=www.lagazzettadelmezzogiorno.it |date=23 November 2006 |language=it}}</ref> This was one of the biggest financial crises which has ever hit a municipality.

The bankruptcy declaration was made on 18 October 2006 by the receiver Tommaso Blonda. He was appointed following the resignation of the mayor, Rossana Di Bello, on account of her sixteen-month prison sentence for abuse of office and forgery of documents relating to investigations into the contract for the management of the city incinerator, awarded to Termomeccanica.

==Geography==
[[File:Taranto &amp; harbor from ISS 2017.JPG|thumb|350px|Taranto and harbor from [[ISS]], 2017]]
Taranto faces the [[Ionian Sea]]. It is {{cvt|14.5|m|ft}} above [[sea level]]. It was built on a plain running north/north-west–southeast, and surrounded by the [[Altopiano delle Murge|Murgia]] plateau from the north-west to the east. Its territory extends for {{cvt|209.64|km2|mi2}} and is mostly underwater. It is characterised by three natural [[peninsula]]s and a man-made island, formed by digging a ditch during the construction of [[Castello Aragonese (Taranto)|Aragon Castle]]. The city is known as the "city of two seas" because it is washed by the Big Sea in the bay between Punta Rondinella to the northwest and Capo San Dante to the south, and by the vast reservoir of the Little Sea.

===Big Sea and Little Sea===
[[File:Mar Piccolo Taranto panorama.jpg|right|thumb|The view of the Little Sea from the [[Appian Way]]]]
The Big Sea (or "Mare Grande") is frequently known as the ''Big Sea bay'' as that is where ships harbour. It is separated from the Little Sea (or "Mare Piccolo") by a cape which closes the gulf, leading to the artificial island. This island formed the heart of the original city and it is connected to the mainland by the [[Ponte di Porta Napoli]] and the [[Ponte Girevole]]. The Big Sea is separated from the Ionian Sea by the Capo San Vito, the Isole Cheradi of St Peter and St Paul, and the three islands of San Nicolicchio, which are completely incorporated by the [[Ilva (company)|ILVA steelworks]]. The latter form a little [[archipelago]] which closes off the arc creating the natural Big Sea bay.

The Little Sea is considered to be a lagoon so it presents problems of water exchange.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} It is virtually divided into two by the [[Ponte Punta Penna Pizzone]], which joins the Punta Penna to the Punta Pizzone. The first of these forms a rough triangle, whose corners are the opening to the east and the Porta Napoli [[Channel (geography)|channel]] linking it to the Big Sea in the west.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} The second half forms an [[ellipse]] whose major axis measures almost {{cvt|5|km|0|abbr=off}} from the south-west to the north-east. The [[Galeso]] river flows into the first half.

The two water bodies have slightly different winds and tides and their underwater springs have different salinities. These affect the currents on the surface and in the depths of the Big Sea and the two halves of the Little Sea. In the Big Sea and in the northern part of the Little Sea, there are some underwater springs called [[citro|citri]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Parenzan |first=Pietro |url=http://siba2.unile.it/ese/issues/3/170/ts03_06.pdf |title=L'anello di san Cataldo nel Mar Grande di Taranto |journal=Thalassia Salentina |volume=6 |year=1972 |pages=3–24 |access-date=7 May 2009}}{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> which carry undrinkable freshwater together with salt water. This creates the ideal biological conditions for cultivating [[Mediterranean mussel]]s, known locally as ''cozze''.

===Climate===
The climate of the city, recorded by the [[weather station]] situated near the [[Taranto-Grottaglie Airport|Grottaglie Military Airport]], is a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taranto climate: Average Temperature by month, Taranto water temperature |url=https://en.climate-data.org/europe/italy/apulia/taranto-1161/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=en.climate-data.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Atlas |first=Weather |title=Yearly & Monthly weather - Taranto, Italy |url=https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/italy/taranto-climate |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Weather Atlas |language=en-us}}</ref> typical of the Mediterranean with frequent continental features.

The spring is usually mild and rainy, but it is not uncommon to have sudden cold spells from the north and east, which often cause snowfall. Average annual precipitation is fairly low (even for southern Italy), measuring just {{cvt|425|mm|in}} per year.

The summer is hot and humid, with temperatures averaging {{cvt|29|C|F}}.

On 28 November 2012 a large F3 [[tornado]] hit the port of Taranto and damaged the [[Ilva (company)|Taranto Steel Mill]]; about 20 workers were injured, and another man was reported missing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Damiani |first1=Vincenzo |title=Storm adds to chaos at troubled Italy steel plant |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-ilva-cleanup/storm-adds-to-chaos-at-troubled-italy-steel-plant-idUKBRE8AR0J720121128 |website=Reuters |date=28 November 2012 |access-date=3 December 2021 |archive-date=3 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203200904/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-italy-ilva-cleanup/storm-adds-to-chaos-at-troubled-italy-steel-plant-idUKBRE8AR0J720121128 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Taranto (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1943–present)
|Jan record high C = 20.0
|Feb record high C = 21.0
|Mar record high C = 28.0
|Apr record high C = 29.0
|May record high C = 34.0
|Jun record high C = 40.8
|Jul record high C = 43.0
|Aug record high C = 42.0
|Sep record high C = 39.0
|Oct record high C = 32.2
|Nov record high C = 26.4
|Dec record high C = 23.0
|year record high C = 43.0
|Jan record low C = -10.0
|Feb record low C = -5.0
|Mar record low C = -6.4
|Apr record low C = -2.4
|May record low C = 2.0
|Jun record low C = 7.4
|Jul record low C = 8.8
|Aug record low C = 10.2
|Sep record low C = 6.4
|Oct record low C = 1.0
|Nov record low C = -3.0
|Dec record low C = -4.8
|year record low C = -10.0
|Jan high C = 12.9
|Feb high C = 13.1
|Mar high C = 15.2
|Apr high C = 18.1
|May high C = 23.1
|Jun high C = 27.5
|Jul high C = 30.8
|Aug high C = 30.7
|Sep high C = 26.5
|Oct high C = 22.2
|Nov high C = 17.3
|Dec high C = 13.8
| year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 9.1
|Feb mean C = 9.1
|Mar mean C = 11.2
|Apr mean C = 13.9
|May mean C = 18.7
|Jun mean C = 22.7
|Jul mean C = 25.9
|Aug mean C = 25.9
|Sep mean C = 22.0
|Oct mean C = 18.2
|Nov mean C = 13.6
|Dec mean C = 10.2
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 5.3
|Feb low C = 5.2
|Mar low C = 7.3
|Apr low C = 9.8
|May low C = 14.2
|Jun low C = 18.0
|Jul low C = 20.9
|Aug low C = 21.0
|Sep low C = 17.5
|Oct low C = 14.2
|Nov low C = 9.9
|Dec low C = 6.7
| year low C = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 60.5
|Feb precipitation mm = 45.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 53.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 44.1
|May precipitation mm = 26.1
|Jun precipitation mm = 19.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 18.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 20.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 53.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 73.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 75.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 65.0
|year precipitation mm = 
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 6.9
| Feb precipitation days = 5.8
| Mar precipitation days = 6.2
| Apr precipitation days = 5.8
| May precipitation days = 4.3
| Jun precipitation days = 2.7
| Jul precipitation days = 1.5
| Aug precipitation days = 2.2
| Sep precipitation days = 4.8
| Oct precipitation days = 6.2
| Nov precipitation days = 6.5
| Dec precipitation days = 7.5
| year precipitation days =
|Jan humidity = 78
|Feb humidity = 75
|Mar humidity = 73
|Apr humidity = 71
|May humidity = 68
|Jun humidity = 63
|Jul humidity = 61
|Aug humidity = 63
|Sep humidity = 66
|Oct humidity = 73
|Nov humidity = 77
|Dec humidity = 80
|year humidity =
|Jan sun = 126
|Feb sun = 131
|Mar sun = 156
|Apr sun = 221
|May sun = 284
|Jun sun = 316
|Jul sun = 341
|Aug sun = 327
|Sep sun = 246
|Oct sun = 197
|Nov sun = 140
|Dec sun = 110
|year sun =
|source 1 = Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (precipitation 1991–2020)<ref name = ISPRA1>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230917192649/https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/
| archive-date = 17 September 2023
| url = https://valori-climatici-normali.isprambiente.it/
| title = Valori climatici normali in Italia
| publisher=Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale
| access-date = 26 November 2024}}</ref><ref name=ISPRA2>{{cite web
| url = https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/files/pubblicazioni/SA_55_14_Valori_climatici_normali.pdf
| title = Valori climatici normali di temperatura e precipitazione in Italia
| publisher= Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale
| access-date = 28 November 2024}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Danish Meteorological Institute]] (sun 1931–1960)<ref name=DMI>{{cite web |last1=Cappelen |first1=John |last2=Jensen |first2=Jens |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130427173827/http://www.dmi.dk/dmi/tr01-17.pdf |archive-date = 27 April 2013 |url=http://www.dmi.dk/dmi/tr01-17.pdf |work=Climate Data for Selected Stations (1931-1960) |title=Italien - Taranto |page=147 |publisher=Danish Meteorological Institute |language=da |access-date = 7 April 2017}}</ref> Servizio Meteorologico (humidity 1961–1990 and extremes recorded at Taranto-Grottaglie Airport)<ref name=SM>{{cite web |url=http://clima.meteoam.it/web_clima_sysman/Clino6190/CLINO324.txt |title=STAZIONE 324 GROTTAGLIE: medie mensili periodo 61 - 90 |publisher=Servizio Meteorologico |access-date=5 January 2015 |archive-date=12 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140912003708/http://clima.meteoam.it/web_clima_sysman/Clino6190/CLINO324.txt |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=extremes>{{cite web |url=http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/taranto-grottaglie/ |title=Taranto Grottaglie: Record mensili dal 1943 |publisher=Servizio Meteorologico dell’Aeronautica Militare |language=it |access-date=5 January 2015 |archive-date=2 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102064929/http://climaintoscana.altervista.org/italia/stazioni-wmo/taranto-grottaglie/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
It is classified as [[Geographical zone]] C and having a [[degree-day]] of 30.{{fact|date=October 2025}}

==Demographics==
As of 2025, the region has 6,079 foreigners, making up 3.3% of the total population of 185,909.<ref>{{cite web |title=Resident foreigners on 1st January |url=https://esploradati.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/dw/categories/IT1,POP,1.0/POP_FOREIGNIM/DCIS_POPSTRRES1/IT1,29_7_DF_DCIS_POPSTRRES1_23,1.0 |publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>
{{Historical populations|1861|26163|1871|25012|1881|31630|1901|56190|1911|65238|1921|104379|1931|111616|1936|117722|1951|163415|1961|189163|1971|221111|1981|233496|1991|217809|2001|202033|2011|200154|2021|189461|align=none|cols=2|source=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991|trans-title=Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991|url=https://ebiblio.istat.it/digibib/Censimenti%20popolazione/Censimentipopolazioneresidentedal1861/RML0050288Pop_res_cens_1861_1991.pdf|lang=it|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dashboard Permanent census of population and housing|url=https://esploradati.censimentopopolazione.istat.it/databrowser/#/en/censtest/dashboards|publisher=[[National Institute of Statistics (Italy)|ISTAT]]}}</ref>}}
===Dialect===
{{main|Tarantino dialect}}
The city is the centre of the [[Tarantino dialect]] (''dialètte tarandíne'') of the [[Neapolitan language]]. As a result of the city's history, it is influenced by Greek, Vulgar Latin, French and many others.

==Environment==
In 1991 Taranto was declared a high environmental risk area by the [[Ministry of the Environment (Italy)|Ministry of Environment]]. As a consequence of the pollutants discharged into the air by the factories in the area, most notably the ILVA steel plant, part of [[Gruppo Riva]]. 7% of Taranto's pollution is produced by the public; 93% is produced by factories. In 2005, the [[European Pollutant Emission Register]] estimated [[Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds|dioxin]] emissions from the Taranto ILVA plant were responsible for 83% of Italy's total reported emissions.<ref name="European Commission parliamentary questions">{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=P-2007-5221&language=EN |title=Answer given by Mr Dimas on behalf of the Commission |work=Parliamentary Questions |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |date=28 November 2007 |access-date=11 August 2011 |archive-date=19 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019175814/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=P-2007-5221&language=EN |url-status=live }}</ref> Every year the city is exposed to {{cvt|2.7|tonnes}} of [[carbon monoxide]] and {{cvt|57.7|tonnes}} of [[carbon dioxide]].{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} In 2014, the Italian National Institute of Emissions and their Sources,<ref>''Inventario nazionale delle emissioni e loro sorgenti'' (INES)</ref> stated that Taranto stands third in the world behind China's [[Linfen]], and [[Copşa Mică]] in Romania, the most polluted cities in the world due to factories' emissions.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

In particular, the city produces ninety-two percent of Italy's [[Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins|dioxin]].{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} This is 8.8&nbsp;percent of the dioxin in Europe.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} Between 1995 and 2004, [[leukaemia]]s, [[myeloma]]s and [[lymphoma]]s increased by 30 to 40&nbsp;percent. Dioxin accumulates over the years. Over 9 kilos{{clarify|reason=kilotons? kilograms?|date=October 2014}} of dioxin have been discharged into the city's air by its factories. {{citation needed|date=October 2014}} Grazing is banned within {{cvt|20|km|mi}} of the ILVA plant.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/17/italy-ilva-steelworks-cancer-pollution |title=Italian town fighting for its life over polluting Ilva steelworks |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=18 August 2012 |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-date=27 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627203842/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/17/italy-ilva-steelworks-cancer-pollution |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2013, the ILVA plant was placed under special administration when its owner, the Riva family, was accused of failing to prevent toxic emissions,<ref>{{cite news |title=Italy to nationalize troubled steel plant |url=https://www.thelocal.it/20141225/italy-to-nationalize-troubled-steel-plant |agency=AFP |publisher=thelocal.it |date=25 December 2014 |access-date=27 August 2017 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828062909/https://www.thelocal.it/20141225/italy-to-nationalize-troubled-steel-plant |url-status=live }}</ref> which caused at least 400 premature deaths.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kemp |first1=Danny |title=EU opens probe into Italian aid for polluting Ilva steelworks |url=https://phys.org/news/2016-01-eu-probe-italian-aid-polluting.html |publisher=Phys.org |date=20 January 2016 |access-date=27 August 2017 |archive-date=28 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828014516/https://phys.org/news/2016-01-eu-probe-italian-aid-polluting.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Emissions of both [[carbon monoxide]], [[carbon dioxide]] and dioxin have decreased.  Animal species have returned that had left, including [[swallows]], [[crane (bird)|cranes]], [[dolphins]], [[seahorses]] and the [[coral reef]].{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}{{clarify|going to need to decide whether Taranto is the third most polluted city in the world, or whether it is NOT now in 2014. Need dates maybe|date=October 2014}}

==Main sights==
[[File:Palazzo del governo - Taranto.jpg|thumb|Palazzo del Governo facing the ''Lungomare'', which was inaugurated in 1934 by Benito Mussolini]]

Taranto has a number of sites of historic value. Situated at the angle of the canal, Big Sea and ''Piazza Castello'', the [[Castello Aragonese (Taranto)|Aragon Castle]] was built between 1486 and 1492 by orders of King [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]] to protect the city from the [[Ottoman Empire|Turks]]' frequent raids.<ref name="puglia">[http://www.viaggareinpuglia.it/at/1/castellotorre/96/en/Taranto-Aragon--Castle Taranto-Aragon--Castle] www.viaggareinpuglia.it{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref> The castle, which was designed by Italian painter and architect [[Francesco di Giorgio Martini]], replaced a pre-existing 9th-century Byzantine fortress, which was deemed unfit for 15th-century warfare.<ref name="puglia"/><ref name="palazzi"/> In 1707 it ceased to be used as a military fortress and was converted to a prison until under [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] it reverted to its original military function. To date it is the property of the Italian Navy and is open to the public. Twenty-first-century excavations revealed the castle's earlier Byzantine foundations which can be viewed.<ref name="puglia"/>

There are several Greek temple ruins - some from the 6th century BC - such as the remains of a [[Temple of Poseidon (Taranto)|temple]] dedicated to Poseidon, with its two surviving Doric columns still visible on Piazza Castello in the ''Città Vecchia''.<ref name="taranto2004">{{cite web |url=http://www.taranto.eu/ |title=Taranto Tourism and History |publisher=Taranto.eu |date=1 January 2004 |access-date=17 January 2012 |archive-date=27 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327214731/http://www.taranto.eu/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Taranto - Corso Due Mari.jpg|thumb|The ''Corso Due Mari'', facing the Old town.]]
The [[Promenade]] (''lungomare''), named after former Italian king [[Victor Emmanuel III]], overlooks the ''Mar Grande'', the natural harbour and commercial port.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

The [[Concattedrale Gran Madre di Dio]], designed by [[Gio Ponti]], was built in 1967–1971 in reinforced concrete and is one of the most significant late works by the architect. In 2018 it is in poor condition and defaced by graffiti.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/gio-ponti-cathedral-taranto-italy |title=Gio Ponti's cut-out cathedral in Taranto deserves a resurrection |date=30 May 2018 |first=Christopher |last=Stocks |website=www.wallpaper.com |access-date=6 August 2018 |archive-date=6 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806145524/https://www.wallpaper.com/architecture/gio-ponti-cathedral-taranto-italy |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the modern districts, but above all in the central ''Borgo Umbertino'', there are also the [[Fountain of the Rosa dei Venti|Fountain of the ''Rosa dei Venti'']], [[Monumento al Marinai]]o, the [[War Memorial of Taranto|War Memorial]] and the [[Navy Yard of Taranto|Navy Yard]], another symbol of the city, some archeological sites such as the [[Cripta del Redentore]], churches like ''[[Maria Santissima del Monte Carmelo]]'', [[San Pasquale, Taranto|''San Pasquale'']] and [[San Francesco di Paola, Taranto|''San Francesco di Paola'']] and 18th- and 19th-century palaces such as [[Palazzo Magnini]], Palazzo delle Poste, [[Palazzo del Governo]], [[Palazzo degli Uffici]] and [[Palazzo Savino D'Amelio]].

On the outskirts and in the countryside there are several traditional ancient country houses called ''masseria'', like [[Masseria Capitignano]].

===Old city===
[[File:Taranto ViaCava Copy 12-10-2015.jpg|thumb|upright|Via Cava in Old City. The painted red arched door of the old, multi-storied palazzo is an example of the [[street art]] that since 2013 became a feature of Old City]]
The Old City or ''Città Vecchia'' is where the Greeks built their acropolis. Today it retains the same street layout of 967, when the Byzantines under Nicephorus Phocas rebuilt what the [[Saracen]] troops led by the Slavic Sabir had razed to the ground in 927 AD.<ref name="oldtarantobari"/>  There are four main arteries (Corso Vittorio II, Via Duomo, Via di Mezzo and Via Garibaldi) which run in a straight direction however the side streets were purposely built narrow and winding to impede the passage of an invading army.<ref name="brit">Taranto - 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica</ref>

Incorporating the [[Castello Aragonese (Taranto)|Aragon Castle]], [[Temple of Poseidon (Taranto)|Doric Columns]], City Hall, Clock Tower and Piazza Fontana, it is situated and entirely enclosed on the artificial island between the Big and Little Seas and is reached from the New City
by crossing the Ponte Girevole ([[swing bridge]]) from the south and the Ponte di Porta Napoli from the north. Almost rectangular in shape, it is divided into four {{lang|it|pittaggi}} (quarters) that are delineated by the cross formed between Via di Mezzo and {{lang|it|postilier}} Via Nuova. These are "Baglio"  and "San Pietro" in the upper section which face the Big Sea; and  "Turipenne" and "Ponte" in the lower part fronting the Little Sea.<ref name="oldtarantobari"/> The nobility, clergy and military personnel made their homes in Baglio and San Pietro, whilst the artisans and fishermen dwelled in Ponte and Turipenne. An Armenian community was present in the 10th and 11th centuries having arrived in Taranto as troops in the Byzantine Army. The ''San't Andrea degli Armeni'' church in Piazza Monteoliveto, located in the Baglio quarter, stands as testimony to the neighbourhood where the Armenians made their homes.<ref name="melograni">{{cite web |url=https://ilcortiledeimelograni.wordpress.com/s-andrea-degli-armeni/ |title=S.Andrea degli Armeni |date=6 February 2014 |access-date=26 December 2016 |archive-date=3 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503050548/https://ilcortiledeimelograni.wordpress.com/s-andrea-degli-armeni/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1746 the entire population of Taranto resided in Old City. This resulted in the necessity of building additional stories on the narrow houses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tarantomagna.it/cosa-vedere-taranto/taranto-citta-vecchia-storia-impressioni/Taranto |title=Taranto Città Vecchia: Storia e Foto dell'isola - Taranto Magna |date=20 October 2013 |access-date=26 December 2016 |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914232429/http://www.tarantomagna.it/cosa-vedere-taranto/taranto-citta-vecchia-storia-impressioni/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is still inhabited with a number of people living in juxtaposition to the old palazzi. By 2013 the population of the Old City was just 1000<ref name="oldtarantobari">"The Old Town of Taranto: Architectural Reading of the History Urban Form for the Correct Methodology for Restoration Project the Built Heritage in the Island". Ubaldo Occhinegro. Polytecnic School of Bari. Paper Number 362-8. Proceedings of the 2nd ICAUD International Conference on Architecture and Urban Design. Epoka University, Tirana, Albania 8–10 May 2014. Paper No. 362</ref> at a time when the wider city had more than 200,000 inhabitants.

[[File:Tarantomezzo.jpeg|thumb|upright|Old derelict buildings in Via di Mezzo which forms the cross that divides the four pittagi]]
There are a number of 17th and 18th-century ''palazzi'' in Old City. For years, they served as the main residence of local aristocratic families and the clergy. These include Palazzo Calò, Palazzo Carducci-Artenisio (1650), Palazzo Galeota (1728), Palazzo Gallo (17th century), P PMalazzo Latagliata, Palazzo Lo Jucco (1793), Palazzo D'Aquino, Palazzo Delli Ponti, Palazzo Gennarini, Palazzo d'Ayala, Palazzo Visconti, Palazzo Galizia, Palazzo Ciura and Palazzo Pantaleo. The 17th century de Beaumont-Bonelli-Bellacicco palace houses the Spartan Museum of Taranto - Hypogeum Bellacicco which extends below street and sea level to the hypogeum that is a crossroads with other hypogeum of Old City which together form the system of subterranean Taranto.<ref name="palazzi">{{cite web |url=https://prolocoditaranto.wordpress.com/palazzi-e-vari-a-taranto/ |title=Palazzi e vari a Taranto |date=7 April 2014 |access-date=26 December 2016 |archive-date=3 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503061436/https://prolocoditaranto.wordpress.com/palazzi-e-vari-a-taranto/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Taranto - Duomo di San Cataldo - 11.jpg|thumb|upright|Ceiling of the San Cataldo chapel inside [[Taranto Cathedral|the cathedral]].]]
Churches include the ''[[Taranto Cathedral|San Cataldo Cathedral]]'' (10th century) in Piazza Duomo, ''[[San Domenico Maggiore, Taranto|San Domenico Maggiore]]'' (1302), Sant'Andrea degli Armeni (16th century), ''[[Sant'Agostino, Taranto|Sant'Agostino]]'' (1402), ''[[San Michele, Taranto|San Michele]]'' (1763), ''[[Sant'Anna Church, Taranto|Sant'Anna]]'', the ''[[Madonna della Salute Sanctuary|Madonna della Salute]]'' sanctuary (1752), and ''[[San Giuseppe, Taranto|San Giuseppe]]'' (16th century).<ref name="palazzi"/> Close to the San Agostino church, located near Pendio La Riccia,  the buried remains of an ancient Greek temple were discovered.{{fact|date=October 2025}}

Beginning in 1934 [[Benito Mussolini]] embarked on a project of rejuvenation that involved the demolition of the working class Turipenne {{lang|it|pittaggio}} along the Via Garibaldi and  <nowiki>''</nowiki>Discesa Vasto<nowiki>''</nowiki> which contained the homes of local fishermen as well as the old Jewish quarter. The demolitions, which also razed the old medieval wall and three churches out of the four within the area, continued until the outbreak of World War II. Modern edifices and apartment blocks were erected to replace the demolished structures.<ref>[http://www.archeotaranto.altervista.org/archeta/taras78/archictettura.htm ''Taranto, Archeologia, Storia, Architettura"'']{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}</ref>

In addition to the many ''palazzi'',  Old City has myriad arched alleyways, ''saliti'', vicoli and small streets, some of which are closed to traffic. Between 2013 and 2014 two Neapolitan urban artists Cyop and Kaf embarked on a project to decorate derelict buildings, walls and doors in the ''piazzi'' and vicoli with 120 representations of [[street art]]. It has since become a striking feature of Old City which is described as the abandoned district of Taranto.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.corriereditaranto.it/ |title="Street Art; un anno in Città Vecchia". ''Corriere di Taranto''. Gaetano De Monte. 27 October 2015 |access-date=10 February 2016 |archive-date=16 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216193038/http://www.corriereditaranto.it/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==
Among the various school are: Liceo Scientifico Battaglini, Liceo Archita (the most ancient),{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} Liceo Quinto Ennio (in Literature), Liceo Aristosseno (Languages, Science, Humanistic), Galileo Ferraris, ITCS Pitagora da Taranto, Vittorino da Feltre, Cabrini, ITIS Righi and ITIS Pacinotti (in IT) and ITC V. Bachelet (in Commercial and Accounting – famous for the activities at BIT MILANO).{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

== Cuisine ==
Taranto's cuisine is characterised by local products, especially vegetables and fish like [[artichoke]]s, [[eggplant]]s, [[tomato]]es, [[olive]]s, [[onion]]s, [[shrimp]]s, [[octopus]], [[sardines as food|sardine]]s, [[squid]] and, above all, [[#Mussels of Taranto|mussels]]. A very important role is also played by the [[olive oil]] and bread produced in the city and in all the villages of its province. Some [[Protected designation of origin|PDO]], [[Protected Geographical Indication|PGI]] and [[Prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali|PAT]] are made in the countryside of Taranto and in the villages around the city: among them we can find some extra-virgin olive oil like [[Terre Tarentine|Terre Tarentine PDO]] and [[Terra d'Otranto (extra-virgin olive oil)|Terra d'Otranto PDO]], fruits like [[Uva di Puglia PGI]] and [[Clementine#Varieties|Clementine del Golfo di Taranto PGI]], vegetables like the [[Carosello (melon)|Barattiere PAT]], [[Pomodorino di Manduria PAT]], types of cheese like [[Burrata|Burrata di Andria PGI]] and [[Ricotta forte|Ricotta Forte PAT]], a type of bread called [[Pane di Laterza|Pane di Laterza PAT]] and the Capocollo di Martina Franca PAT, a type of ''[[capocollo]]''.
Other appreciated street foods are the [[tarallini]], the [[panzerotti]], the [[pucce]].

=== Mussels of Taranto ===
[[File:Cozza tarantina.jpg|thumb|Tarantinian mussels cooked in a pan]]
A very important ingredient of the cuisine of Taranto is [[mussel]]s. They are grown in the Big Sea and, above all, in the Little Sea (see [[#Big Sea and Little Sea|above]]). They have been inserted in the list of Traditional Food Products by the Italian [[Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (Italy)|Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies]]. The peculiar flavour of Tarantine mussels is given by the special conditions of salinity of the Little Sea which is crossed by the ''citri'', submarine freshwater springs which manage to oxygenate the water, helping the development of the [[plankton]] and by the freshwater come from the Galeso river. The piles for the mussels were anciently made with wood from [[La Sila|Sila Mountains]] in [[Calabria]]. During the Ancient Greek and Roman times, several authors<ref>{{Cite book |title=Naturalis Historia, XXXII, XII.. |last=Plinius the Elder}}</ref> described the richness and the goodness of the mussels of Taranto. After the tests about the pollution that is present in the first side of the Little Sea, the legal production of mussels has been moved to the second side. The tests and the classifications of the water are made by producers giving the possibility to certify the safety of the product.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it/bari/cronaca/16_aprile_22/emiliano-le-cozze-taranto-sono-piu-buone-mondo-c0558616-08a3-11e6-a5f4-16f1996f8d54.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202124131/https://corrieredelmezzogiorno.corriere.it/bari/cronaca/16_aprile_22/emiliano-le-cozze-taranto-sono-piu-buone-mondo-c0558616-08a3-11e6-a5f4-16f1996f8d54.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 December 2020 |title=Emiliano: "Le cozze di Taranto sono le più buone al mondo" |last=Redazione online |work=Corriere della Sera |access-date=31 July 2018 |language=it-IT}}</ref> Some of the most traditional dishes of Taranto are mussels ''alla puppitegna'' (with [[garlic]], extra-virgin olive oil and [[parsley]]) or the ''[[impepata]]'' ("full of pepper" in Italian) or [[spaghetti]] with mussels, or [[Tubettini]] with mussels.

==Sports==
*[[Taranto F.C. 1927]] (Football)

===2026 Mediterranean Games===

Taranto will host the [[2026 Mediterranean Games]] which will mark the fourth time Italy hosts the [[Mediterranean Games]].

==Transport==
[[File:Ponte Girevole (Taranto) opening 1.jpg|thumb|right|The two leaves of the 1887-built Ponte Girevole turning to open the waterway for a large ship]]

===Rail===
[[Taranto railway station]] connects the city with [[Rome]], [[Naples]], [[Milan]], [[Bologna]], [[Bari]], [[Reggio di Calabria]] and [[Brindisi]].

===Air===
[[Taranto-Grottaglie Airport]] is located 16&nbsp;km away from Taranto, but does not offer any regularly scheduled commercial services. The two closest airports that do offer regularly scheduled commercial services are in [[Brindisi Airport|Brindisi]] and [[Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport|Bari]], approximately 70&nbsp;km and 90&nbsp;km away, respectively.

===Other===
The [[Ponte Girevole]] ([[swing bridge]]), built in 1887, runs across the navigable ship canal that joins ''Mar Piccolo'' (''Little Sea'') with ''Mar Grande'' (''Big Sea'') and stretches along {{cvt|89.9|m|ft}}. When the bridge is open, the two ends of the city are disconnected.

==Notable people==
These historical figures have had a relationship with the city. Not all of them were actually born in Taranto.
*[[Archytas]] (428-347 BC) of Tarentum, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, statesman, strategist and commander-in-chief of the army of Taranto
*[[Philolaus]] (c. 470 - c. 385 BCE), mathematician and philosopher
*[[Aristoxenus]] (c. 375 - after 335 BCE), peripatetic philosopher, and writer on music and rhythm
*[[Leonidas of Tarentum]] (3rd century BCE), poet
*[[Lysis of Tarentum]] (c. 5th century BCE), philosopher
*[[Cleinias of Tarentum]] (4th century BCE), Pythagorean philosopher
*[[Rhinthon]] (c. 323–285 BC), dramatist
*[[Zeuxis of Tarentum|Zeuxis]] (3rd century BCE), physician
*[[Livius Andronicus]] (с. 284- с. 205 BCE), poet
*[[Titus Quinctius Flamininus]] (c. 229 - c. 174 BCE), [[propraetor]] of Tarentum
*[[Pacuvius]] (220 - c. 130), tragic poet, died in Tarentum in 130 BC
*[[Saint Cataldus|Cataldus]] (с 7th century), archbishop and patron saint of Taranto
*[[Bohemond of Taranto]] (c. 1054 -1111), (born in Calabria)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nobledynasty.com/antiochhistory.htm |title=Antioch History |publisher=Nobledynasty.com |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313104220/http://www.nobledynasty.com/antiochhistory.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://skeel.info/getperson.php?personID=I25944&tree=ks |title=Bohemond I. of Antioch b. Abt. 1058 San Marco Argentano in Calabria d. 1111: Skeel and Kannegaard Genealogy |publisher=Skeel.info |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801214900/http://skeel.info/getperson.php?personID=I25944&tree=ks |archive-date=1 August 2014 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> key military leader on the First Crusade
*[[Philip I, Prince of Taranto]], [[Latin Emperor]] in exile 1313–1332 (as Philip II), king of [[Kingdom of Albania (medieval)|Albania]]
*[[Gil Albornoz]], archbishop of Taranto in 1644
*[[Nicola Fago]] (1677-1745), composer, teacher, and church musician (maestro di cappella) in Naples
*[[Giovanni Paisiello]] (1740-1816), composer associated with Naples
*[[Carlo Balsamo di Specchia-Normandia]] (1890 - 1960), commander of the naval forces of [[Italian East Africa]] during the early stages of [[World War II]].
*[[Pierre Choderlos de Laclos]], Napoleonic army general and novelist, died in Taranto
*[[Etienne-Jacques-Joseph-Alexandre MacDonald]] (1765–1840), ''duke of Taranto'' and ''marshal of France''
*[[Marcus Fulvius Nobilior (consul 189 BC)|Marcus Fulvius Nobilior]], rumoured to have been born here and not Rome as was first assumed
*[[Riccardo Tisci]], fashion designer, creative director of [[Givenchy]]
*[[Roberta Vinci]], professional tennis player
*[[Cosimo Damiano Lanza]], pianist, harpsichordist and composer
*[[Pino De Vittorio]], singer, actor
*[[Filippo Di Stani]], Italian footballer
*[[Quentin Tarantino]], whose family derives its surname from its origins in the city
*[[Michele Riondino]], actor, director, singer<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1494072/ |title=Michele Riondino |publisher=IMDb |access-date=6 October 2013 |archive-date=19 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130919094648/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1494072/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Laura Albanese]], Italian-Canadian newscaster and politician
*[[Nicola Martinucci]], opera singer
*[[Alessandro Leogrande]], journalist
*[[Anna Fougez]], actress and singer
*[[Diodato]], singer and author who was also designated as the Italian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, event cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
*[[Giobbe Covatta]], actor, performer writer and social activist

==Twin towns - sister cities==
Taranto is [[twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:

*{{flagicon|GRC}} [[Sparta (modern)|Sparta]], [[Greece]] (since 2015)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filonidetaranto.it/2015/07/missione-compiuta-dopo-15-anni.html |title=Day of Twin between Taranto and Sparta |date=24 July 2015 |access-date=30 July 2015 |archive-date=15 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915023307/http://www.filonidetaranto.it/2015/07/missione-compiuta-dopo-15-anni.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Brest, France|Brest]], [[France]] (since 1964)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comune.taranto.it/citta/dettaglio_news.php?id_news=192&id_categoria=161 |title=Taranto twinned with Brest |date=23 July 2009 |access-date=18 March 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120729041127/http://www.comune.taranto.it/citta/dettaglio_news.php?id_news=192&id_categoria=161 |archive-date=29 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Donetsk]], [[Ukraine]] (since 1985)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mer.dn.ua/public_echo.php?id=123 |title=Twin Cities and city-partners in Donetsk |access-date=18 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210085418/http://mer.dn.ua/public_echo.php?id=123 |archive-date=10 December 2011}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Alicante]], [[Spain]] (since 2010){{citation needed|date=June 2015}}
*{{flagicon|PAK}} [[Islamabad]], [[Pakistan]] (since 2010){{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|European Union|Cities}}

History:
* [[Second Punic War]]
** [[Battle of Tarentum (212 BC)|First Battle of Tarentum (212 BC)]]
** [[Battle of Tarentum (209 BC)|Second Battle of Tarentum (209 BC)]]
* [[Battle of Taranto| Battle of Taranto (1940 AD)]]

Culture:
* ''[[Tarantella| Tarantella (folk dance)]]''

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wiktionary}}
{{commons|Taranto}}
*{{Official website|http://www.comune.taranto.it/}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090714022853/http://www.tarantoturismo.it/ Tourism in Taranto ]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20180601033056/http://www.museotaranto.org/ MARTA: Museo nazionale ARcheologico TAranto (Taranto Archaeological National Museum)]

{{Province of Taranto}}
{{Magna Graecia}}
{{Cities in Italy}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Taranto| ]]
[[Category:Coastal towns in Apulia]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Apulia]]
[[Category:Localities of Salento]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Italy]]
[[Category:Italian Navy submarine bases]]
[[Category:Ancient cities in Sicily]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Apulia]]
[[Category:Dorian colonies in Magna Graecia]]
[[Category:Iron Age Greek colonies]]
[[Category:Spartan colonies]]
[[Category:700s BC]]
[[Category:8th-century BC establishments in Italy]]
[[Category:Magna Graecia]]
[[Category:Steel industry in Italy]]