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.

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Soave - Wines Vines and a Fabulous Fortress

The Vintner’s Town

Between the two giants of Italian fame and myth, between Verona and Venice, sits the small commune of Soave. Dwarfed in size and in importance by its two monumental and famous neighbours, Soave nevertheless holds its own. From the highway you will see Soave’s historic castle on the hillside. The village gathers around its foot. Surrounded on all sides by vineyards, the village of Soave celebrates the vine with its many cafes and bars, its famed local wine and its presses. The wine ‘Soave’  - named after the village and the region - is a much appreciated dry white Italian wine which once outsold Chianti in popularity.

The castle is unique and impressive. Surrounded by its protective walls, the castle grounds stretch up the terraced hillside to its highest point. Around the walls the entry points are marked by sentry stations and drawbridges which could once be hauled up to create a fortified front to oncoming enemies.  Now they are lowered and welcome of the tourists whose trade helps to support the village.





With three layers of protective surrounds in ever reducing circles, this is one of the most attractive castles in Venezia with its fortifications drawing in closer and closer as they ascend up the hillside. From the village below, the castle can always be seen. It dominates in its presence and is integral to village life.





Even though the tourist traffic is appreciated as valuable, it is the vineyards surrounding the castle and spreading out into the countryside which still provide the lifeblood of Soave. Soave has been a wine growing region since at least the tenth century and likely many centuries before that.  These are indeed ancient vines. With cellars and bars tucked into historic stone-walled buildings or sheltered in courtyards with a mass of vines overhead and tables casually scattered under the dappled sun, it is an idyllic spot.

Still a small village, still a commune you will have to divert to discover, this is a place to share with the locals rather than with the tourists, as you must do when visiting its more glamorous neighbours.

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