Tre Giorni a Taranto

Our train ride to Taranto was easy.....these Italian trains are such a cheap and convenient way to travel around the country. We were saddened by the site of dozens of olive trees sawn off to stubs. A bacteria has infected the trees, and evidently there is no cure but to destroy them to keep the bacteria from spreading. We think back to the 400-600 year old olive trees we saw at the masseria near Conversano. What a shame to lose them.
Taranto is NOT a tourist city (which made us happy), but it could be.  It's the City of Two Seas as it's wedged between Il Mare Grande and Il Mare Piccolo on the Ionian Sea coast. It appears that fishing is one of its major industries...mussel harvesting in particular. Traps are everywhere.
We enjoyed a couple of mussel dishes paired with cold white Puglian wine...delicious!
Taranto was settled by the Greeks in the 8th century BC, and taken over by the Romans around 270 BC. The seafront has a lovely fortification castle and plenty of seaview restaurants.
The city is also known for its military and naval importance and is the location of a major naval base. On November 11, 1940, the Battle of Taranto was lost to the British.
We had a lovely apartment overlooking Mare Piccolo. This is a town to remember for future trips.
Next stop.....beautiful Salerno!

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