Taranto emerged during the pandemic as one of the first Italian ports to receive cruise ships after MSC Cruises invested in it. After that strong start, it could have faded into obscurity, but instead, it has established itself as a key port of call in southern Italy.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 61 – June 2022
Located in the Apulia (Puglia) region of Italy, specifically in the "heel of the boot", it is a typical southern Italian industrial town with 200,000 inhabitants and a great cultural legacy based on its more than 2,700 years of history.
It was the Greek Partheniae who founded Taras in 706 BC, young colonists, sons of single Spartan women, who, thanks to the magnificent geostrategic location of Taranto, and its excellent conditions as a natural port, turned it into a prosperous commercial emporium and one of the most important polis of Magna Graecia.
It is precisely this geostrategic location that has made Taranto, and all of southern Italy, a region through which various civilizations, empires, and cultural influences have passed. In Taranto, we can find the remains of a Doric temple, Greco-Roman necropolises, Romanesque churches, Renaissance palaces of nobles and illustrious figures, Gothic and Baroque churches, and the imposing Aragonese Castle, among other historical monuments.
Port
has five piers of varying sizes that can be used for cruise ship berthing, the main one being Pier 1 East, with 360 meters of berthing line and a depth of 8 meters. It is there that the Falanto Port Service Center is being built, a multifunctional building designed to promote maritime culture. It will house an auditorium, meeting rooms, exhibition and training areas, and services for cruise ship passengers. Construction is scheduled for completion this year.
Global Ports has been managing cruise operations through Taranto Cruise Port since April 2021. The docks are located just 500 meters from Taranto's historic center, which is concentrated on the island separating the open sea from the "Mare Piccolo," a nearly enclosed bay.
It's a new destination that's here to stay.
Bari airport is 90 km away and Brindisi airport is 75 km away, but there is also Grottaglie airport, just 20 km away, ready to receive charter flights.
2022, a record-breaking year and a meteoric rise:
Taranto will receive 54 cruise calls in 2022 from 9 cruise lines: MSC Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Marella Cruises, TUI Cruises, P&O Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Phoenix Reisen, Sea Cloud Cruises, and Road Scholar.
MSC Cruises has gone even further, offering weekly interporting calls with partial embarkations from April to November on the MSC Splendida.
Thus, in 2022, Taranto will reach 138,000 passengers across 54 calls, a huge increase compared to 2021, when it received 80,000 passengers across 28 calls, making it one of the first ports to welcome large ships. In 2019, it received only 9,000 cruise passengers.
Tourist attractions:
The dolphins that have inhabited the Cheradi Islands since time immemorial, protecting the entrance to Taranto Bay, are a symbol of the city. They are not only a natural treasure but also a tourist attraction, with excursions organized to see them.
Many of the aforementioned buildings are located in Taranto's old town, with the imposing Aragonese Castle undoubtedly being the most striking. This castle was built as a fortification on the navigable canal, which connects the open sea with the "Mar Piccolo" (small sea). Its current quadrangular structure, with a circular tower at each corner, was designed by Ferdinand of Aragon at the end of the 15th century, having previously served as a prison.
The Cathedral of San Cataldo is the most important religious building in Taranto. Founded in 1070, it has been remodeled over the centuries to reach its current state, with a Baroque façade and an interior where the wooden coffered ceiling of the central nave stands out, as well as the chapel with its incredible polychrome marble work and frescoes in the dome.
While strolling through the narrow streets of the old town, be sure to visit the Doric columns of the ancient Temple of Poseidon, and the MarTA National Archaeological Museum and the Diocesan Museum are also good options.
Future Projects:
Mar Grande.
The city and port have planned a new waterfront in the old town. This project, called Mar Grande, aims to transform the exterior facade with a promenade overlooking the sea. It is a €19 million project scheduled for completion in December 2023.
The project will have two main functions: on the one hand, to be a coastal defense and environmental protection infrastructure; and on the other hand, to create a panoramic promenade with a strong cultural connotation, thanks to the physical repositioning of the East Gate of the Port which will allow open access to the port area for visitors and citizens.
former Torpediniere
area, the inner waterfront of Taranto's old town overlooking the Mar Piccolo lagoon, will be revitalized with a marina designed to accommodate everything from small boats to large yachts. Several buildings in the area, which has suffered significant neglect in recent years due to the presence of former military installations, will also be renovated or repurposed.
This year it expects 138,000 cruise passengers, but in 2019 it only received 9,000.
Falanto Port Services
. In addition, there is the construction of the Falanto Port Services Center at Pier 1, which we have already mentioned, which will serve as both a cruise terminal and a cultural center.
Matera Excursions:
Just an hour's drive from Taranto lies the ancient city of Matera, where many of the houses have been carved into the limestone rock. Visiting Matera is like stepping back in time, as this city is one of the oldest human settlements in the world, having been inhabited since 10,000 BC.
Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993, Matera was European Capital of Culture in 2019 and hosted the filming of Mel Gibson's "The Passion" in 2005.
Masserie Farms
The old fortified farms of the province of Taranto, called masserie, are being converted into hotels and restaurants, where courses in traditional Apulian cuisine are organized for international and national guests.
In charming whitewashed cottages, guests can participate in experiential tours where local chefs will teach them the secrets of preparing orecchiette (traditional ear-shaped pasta), mozzarella, and Apulian bread.
Laterza Bread.
In Laterza, an ancient town about 60 km from Taranto, the eponymous bread has been produced for over three centuries. With an intense aroma of cereals and a slightly acidic flavor, Laterza Bread has a crisp crust, about 3 cm thick, which tends to be brown, with an ivory-white, honeycomb-like crumb. Depending on the season, the oven is heated with aromatic wood, olive wood, or other materials such as apricot kernels or almond shells. Travelers can discover how to bake Laterza Bread by taking a cooking class in a traditional oven in Laterza.
The Itria Valley (Alberobello)
The valley, an extensive karst depression, includes the beautiful towns of Alberobello, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino and Fasano, the so-called “borghi”, which are small characteristic villages with a preserved historic center.
The valley is dotted with thousands of trulli, small limestone dwellings with cone-shaped roofs, joined together without mortar.
Wine and olive oil
are the defining features of the Apulian landscape, with its ancient vineyards and olive groves. Today, these products are among Puglia's most internationally renowned and outstanding characteristics. Visitors can tour the cantinas (wineries) and sample some of the finest wine grape varieties, including Negramaro, Primitivo, and Verdeca (among many others).
At the frantoi (oil mills) the oil production process will be explained and of course you will be invited to taste the product, even with typical bread and cheese.
Active excursions
include kayaking on Mar Piccolo, fishing trips, dolphin watching, and hiking. An hour away is the "Angel's Flight" zip line, where you travel 1,000 meters between two hills at speeds of up to 100 km/h, and the "Moon Bridge," a 300-meter-long suspension bridge suspended 120 meters above the ground.
