Guarding the swing bridge that joins the old and new parts of town, this impressive 15th-century structure, built on Norman and Byzantine predecessors, was once a prison and is currently occupied by the Italian navy, which has restored it. Multilingual and free guided tours, mandatory to get inside, are led by naval officers throughout the day. Opposite are the two remaining columns of the ancient Temple of Poseidon.
Castello Aragonese
Taranto
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.22 MILES
These spectacular limestone caves, 40km southeast of Bari, are Italy's longest natural subterranean network. The interlinked galleries, first discovered…
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Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto
0.26 MILES
Sitting unassumingly in a side street in Taranto's new town is one of Italy's most important archaeological museums, chiefly dedicated to the archaeology…
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0.35 MILES
The 11th-century cathedral is one of Puglia's oldest Romanesque buildings and an extravagant treat. It's dedicated to San Cataldo, an Irish monk who lived…
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22.06 MILES
Not to be confused with the Tavole Palatine, the Parco Archeologico is a larger, if less immediately impressive collection of Metaponto ruins that…
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21.71 MILES
Trullo Sovrano dates in parts to the early 17th century, and is Alberobello's only two-floor trullo. Built by a wealthy priest’s family, it’s now a small…
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22.33 MILES
The remains of the 6th-century Temple of Hera – 15 columns and sections of pavement – are Metaponto's most impressive sight. They're known as the Tavole…
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Museo di Civiltà Preclassiche della Murgia
25.55 MILES
Located in the Convento delle Monacelle, the museum's most famous exhibit is Delia, a 25,000-year-old expectant mother. Pregnant at the time of her death,…
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23.54 MILES
This small but important museum is a real throwback to the days when precious artefacts of the past sat soberly behind glass, accompanied only by simple…
Nearby Taranto attractions
0.08 MILES
This 6th-century BC Doric temple is one of the few visible remains of the once-great Greek colony of Taras. The last two surviving columns and the…
2. Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Taranto
0.26 MILES
Sitting unassumingly in a side street in Taranto's new town is one of Italy's most important archaeological museums, chiefly dedicated to the archaeology…
0.27 MILES
The gigantic rust-red 1930s Palazzo del Governo, inaugurated by Mussolini, is a forbidding and masculine structure, expressive of the fascist ideas of…
0.35 MILES
The 11th-century cathedral is one of Puglia's oldest Romanesque buildings and an extravagant treat. It's dedicated to San Cataldo, an Irish monk who lived…
16.97 MILES
Built over an existing castle in 1668, this imposing baroque palace has had a multitude of functions over the years, and is now the office of the civic…
21.37 MILES
Within the old town quarter of Rione Monti more than 1000 trulli cascade down the hillside, many of which are now souvenir shops. The area is surprisingly…
21.44 MILES
On the eastern side of Via Indipendenza is Rione Aia Piccola. This neighbourhood is much less commercialised than Rione Monti, with 400 trulli, many still…
21.71 MILES
Trullo Sovrano dates in parts to the early 17th century, and is Alberobello's only two-floor trullo. Built by a wealthy priest’s family, it’s now a small…