Taranto

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Taranto (Italian: [ˈtaːranto] ; Tarantino: Tarde), historically also called Tarent in English, is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy on the Gulf of Taranto. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main base of the Italian navy. With a population of 185,112 as of 2026, Taranto is the second-largest city in Apulia. Founded by Spartans in the 8th century BC during the period of Greek colonisation, Taranto was among the most important poleis in Magna Graecia, becoming a cultural, economic and military power that gave birth to philosophers, strategists, writers and athletes such as Archytas, Aristoxenus, Livius Andronicus, Heracleides, Iccus, Cleinias, Leonidas, Lysis and Sosibius. By 500 BC, the city was among the largest in the world, with an estimated population of up to 300,000. The seven-year rule of Archytas marked the apex of its development and recognition of its hegemony over other Greek colonies of southern Italy. During...

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