Taranto (TA) - City of the two seas - Puglia

It is called "the city of the two seas" Taranto, bathed by the Great and the Small Sea, is a condensed history between noble palaces and underground jewels... #tuttitaly

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Taranto (TA) - City of the two seas - Puglia

In 706 BC stands on a peninsula between two Seas (Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo), the ancient city of Taranto. Its foundation coincides with the landing of a colony of refugees from Sparta.

At that time, Taranto was an island that housed a small village of Iapigians (an ancient Indo-European population from Illyria).

It was the Partheni (refugees from Sparta) who transformed that simple village into an urban center. This was then razed to the ground by the Saracens, and in 927, the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Phocas brought in architects from Greece to rebuild it.

Today we can admire the works of these architects: typical houses and very narrow alleys in which you can pass no more than one at a time.

The alleys were reasoned in this way so that the inhabitants could pour boiling oil over them to defend themselves.

After the reconstruction, many of those Greek architects remained to live in Taranto. From then on, a mixed language began to be spoken in the medieval city. Even today, traces of words of Greek origin can be found in the local dialect. This deep immersion into the history and roots of the region is only the beginning of a fascinating journey, which can continue just a short distance away by letting yourself be welcomed by the timeless charm of Matera. The famous "City of Stones," with its ancient cave dwellings carved into the rock and a cultural landscape unique in the world, offers the perfect architectural and historical continuation to your discovery of ancient Magna Graecia.

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Taranto (TA) - City of the two seas - Puglia