Taranto to Porto Cesareo

May 27, 2023

Let me start today’s journal with this admission: I got Taranto all wrong when planning this trip. I psyched myself out that it was an industrial quagmire with a down-and-out old city centre that was just tolerable. Yes, industry announces its presence from a considerable distance, but it was not belching anything, nor was it smelly. No noise either. From the looks of it, the industrial plant had been shut down and the air and water are clean. Or so it seemed from outward appearances.

The sad truth is another story altogether and it has been going on since the 70’s. Like several other places we have visited in this region, Taranto has been and still is an environmental disaster that the citizenry have been suffering through for a very long time. It is yet another example of jobs vs health, a struggle that exists everywhere you go, it seems.

As a tourist, I can only observe what I see, learn about it and support the locals by eating at their restaurants and staying in their B&B’s and tred lightly as we explore on two wheels. Taranto exceeded our expectations and we loved our stay in the old city.

The signs for accommodation are always small and take some careful sleuthing to locate. This one is actually large in comparison to most.

Doric columns are all that remain of a Greek temple, at the end of the block.

View towards the Gulf of Taranto and, further out, the Ionian sea.

The inland ‘sea’ lies to the east of the city.

An active fishing fleet calls Taranto home.

Bridge connecting the old and the new city.

The towers of this Aragonese castle sit on guard at the south tip of the island, facing the sea. It was completed in 1492, at the same time as someone famous set sights on finding a new land.

A bronze sculpture dedicated to sailors, completed in 1974. Taranto is home to the Italian navy.

This area is home to a large population and so navigating through the busy roadways is a challenge to cyclists. I had studied this section using Google traffic and came up with an ingenious way of sneaking along some lightly travelled roads to reach the coast. Ok, so it wasn’t always legal... we did ride against the one way traffic for a bit of it and were chastised by a motorcyclist for that one, but it was worth it.

This beautiful bike path/pedestrian walkway was a nice way to begin the day. Workers were sweeping it by hand to keep it tidy.

When the bike path ended, we were funnelled onto a road that soon turned into a highway. That's when my planning came in handy. After a couple lefts and rights, two off ramps, one on ramp and a bridge, we were sailing along on a country road.

We decided to be proactive today and find some lunch fixings so we could have a picnic lunch along the way so we stopped at a Conad grocery store. They had a big deli and very friendly staff (who were proud of all their meats and cheeses) so I had them make two ham and cheese panini for us. I augmented it with a tomato and a Salento cucumber (which I am trying to grow in my greenhouse).

I am trying to catch up on the journal, so will not say too much about this coastal ride, except ‘wow’. We were in amazement at the beautiful coastline and all its beaches. It was a surprise to see so much sand and it kept calling me to stop. But, I had a job to do. Besides, the breeze was blowing from behind and that made it a super pleasant day for cycling.

These defensive watch towers dot the coastline of the Salento peninsula.They date as far back as the 11th century.

Our B&B in Porto Cesareo was another winner. This time we were greeted by Katia, the owner, who immediately offered us some ice tea and marmalade tarte that she had made. She tried using Google translate to chat with us and every time she changed languages, it played an obnoxious jingle. It became quite funny as we all listened to it and patiently waited for the jingle to finish.

The cold ice tea hit the spot as it had been a warm ride today and although we drank four bottles each, it still didn’t quite satisfy. We followed the ice tea with a couple of Beck’s beers at a bar near the old city.

Then we were off to dinner and once again, we had amazing meals that were based on simple ingredients. We keep seeing this in Italy and will no doubt try to emulate it when we get home.

Salads here are so simple and refreshing. Olive oil and vinegar is offered for dressing as to your tastes.

Potato salad with cucumber, tomato, olives.

We sat in the outside veranda of this gorgeous restaurant. Three couples brought a long their fur children, who were very well behaved. I cannot imagine this ever happening at home! The place was hopping by the time we left. We strolled back to the B&B in the warm summer breeze under a clear moonlit sky to end yet another great day of cycle touring.

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Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 482 km (299 miles)

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Barbara HarrisonGreat journal. That coastline is beautiful.
We were wondering about whether to visit Taranto, there's so much negativity about the place. But you are inspiring us to give it a try.
Did you know it was Sparta's only colony?
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1 year ago

Anne MathersYes, you could definitely come and enjoy yourselves here. Completely safe and wonderful, hospitable people. The history is so old, it’s hard to wrap your head around it. Just walking on the stones in the streets is mind-boggling!
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1 year ago