Taranto - a town of gritty beauty

Working the Docks

Taranto - an amazing city of industrial chimneys and factories, juxtaposed with fabulous waterways and harbours: a city of purple hazed skies and sparkling seas; a city of pleasure crafts and waterfront promenades alongside a twenty four hour port and a harbour of battleships at the ready.

Taranto has history by the handful. Its Borgo Antico is gritty, old and unadulteratedly true to its past. In fact it is lucky to have even survived its past, and its torrid role in the wars of the twentieth century. With its harbour having always been a crucial home to Italy's naval fleet this beleagured city has found itself a target in any conflict. The Borgo Antico is constricted by a boundary of seas on all sides. Here the old city survives, tattered, ragged and real. Its colours are pealing, its walls are patched and repaired. Interspersed amongst its narrow streets are the arches and the decorative lights that bring so many Italian towns to life in the dusk.

Taranto is known as the Town of Two Seas.  - Mare Grande and Mare Piccolo. Bridges link the sides of an inlet separating the seas, except when the great swing bridge is lifted to allow access to the inner harbours. The protected nature of the harbour makes it a sought after berth for the many fishing boats which trawl the Ionian Coast.

At the entry to the Mare Grande is the Aragonese Castle. This castle was used as a fort to help protect the harbour, and then also as a prison in times past. The castle may look untouched by the battles which raged, but in fact it is magnificently repaired to its former glory. Its rounded battlements, its squat walls and tiny windows present an impregnable face to the ocean.

Beautiful Taranto is the holder of one astonishing statistic -  it has been declared the most polluted city not just in Italy but also in Western Europe. This unenviable title owes its origin to the industries and in particular the steel mills which are scattered around the edges of Taranto. Although work is being done to reduce emissions and control pollution in the area, the fight is by no means won. Just one more battle in this city's long and difficult history.

Astonishingly the city remains a city of great charm and beauty. For a large city it remains compact and walkable.

Its divided parts create pockets of history, areas of intimacy and architecture unlike any other city in Italy. Its harbours, bridges and boardwalks define a multitude of quarters, each with a unique style and attraction, all against a background of tall chimneys and billowing clouds rising up into the sky.

Also Pip McCurdy's New Zealand posts:

On Blogspot, Pip McCurdy on the Road

Website: http://www.unusualstays.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Stay-Somewhere-Strange-273777766054597/

Belvedere Marittimo and the Castello del Principe

Beautiful Ruins

Castello del Principe

The Normans invaded Italy during the tenth and eleventh centuries, and made their most significant impression on the south-most of the southern states and on Sicily. Belvedere Marittimo is a small town in southern Italy, split between the beach and the steep hills behind. The beach and port edge the coast below, and the hill town above looks out over the sea, the port, and the lush surrounding countryside.

Belvedere Marittimo has an exceptional centro storico (historic centre) and in particular the most exceptional castle ruins. These dominate the hillside and create the centre around which the hill town clusters. These ruins may have existed prior, but it was their capture by Roger the Norman which gave them their current form. Overseen by their Norman conqueror, it is the remains of this Norman castle fort which towers over the hilltop town today.

Although ruins they may be, the magnificent castle that once stood there is still plain to see in the shapes and contours of the stone work that has survived.

The castle that Roger built or perhaps adapted, is one of the most attractive examples of Norman castle building that still remains in recognisable form in Italy today. And even though this castle is now only ruins the glimpses of its towers, walls and gates add grandeur and stature to the town.













Belvedere itself is intricate and curious. Its tunnels, archways and lanes weave in and out of the Old Town in a confusing array of stairways and courtyards. The hill town has no commercial centre. The shopping hub of Belvedere is below on the waterfront and this is also the commercial heart of Belvedere. On the waterfront the cafes and bars take full advantage of the water's edge promenade. Accommodation also centres on the port. The hilltop town however, is Old Town at its best.

.











 On the hilltop you will find a quieter way of life - for some perhaps, too quiet.   For others a chance to stroll slowly, to admire the perfect views across the valley, the coast and the sea; an opportunity to soak in the history, and gaze on the relics of the past.  In such an idyllic spot it is little wonder that Roger eyed up Belvedere Marittimo and decided it must be his. Now we are able to appreciate that times have moved on from the days of conquer or be conquered: The days of Roger the Norm.

Also Pip McCurdy's New Zealand posts:

On Blogspot, Pip McCurdy on the Road

Website: http://www.unusualstays.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Stay-Somewhere-Strange-273777766054597/

Diamante - A True Italian Jewel

The Diamante Diamond

Jutting out on a promontory in the Mediterranean is the town of Diamante, a small town with a mountain of initiative as it strives to make its presence felt alongside those famous names in the south of Italy ; -  you know them all -  Palermo, Tropea, Marsala .... Diamante calls on all its skills to make its mark amongst its illustrious neighbours  as it promotes its festivals and its points of distinction. Yet this is a town with character and charm in its own right, with its kilometres of relaxed beaches and its warmly coloured buildings steeped in history. It is a town whose charms are often overlooked.

In Diamante you will find yourself in a town which is all about the art.  The exterior walls of the houses that line the cobbled streets are punctuated with frescoes and murals, some small, some large, all a celebration of colour with the warm plaster walls as a canvas. There are they say, around seventy of these examples of wall art, and Diamante is quite unique amongst its south Italian neighbours in this respect. It is a visual extravaganza as you stroll the narrow streets.









However it is not just art which draws your eye as you walk through the streets of Diamante. It is the deep red clusters of colour hanging from balconies and verandas decorating the doorways, the walls, the shops. It is the bunches of drying chillies hanging vibrant and fiery in the sun ready for use.










In September each year Diamante holds a festival in celebration of the peperoncino - the hot chilli pepper. The festival attracts tens of thousands each year and is a big event in the Diamante calendar.




Market stalls offer food spiced with the mighty chilli pepper. There are decorations of chilli peppers; garlands of chilli peppers;  and of course there is the chilli eating contest. But in the end it is as a flavour enhancer rather than for intense heat that the chilli is chiefly used in Calabrian cuisine and it is this that the celebration is truly about.








Diamante is a relaxed town where the streets are quiet without the hubbub of the major tourist trade. The small harbour has its own fleet of fishing boats so the supply of good seafood can always be relied on at the local restaurants and cafes. The older parts of Diamante steadfastly resist the encroachments of ribbon built beach fronts -  as seen in some nearby towns. As you stroll along the quiet beach at sunset you will realise there is much to savour and enjoy about the jewel that is Diamante.

Also Pip McCurdy's New Zealand posts:

On Blogspot, Pip McCurdy on the Road

Website: http://www.unusualstays.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Stay-Somewhere-Strange-273777766054597/