For our next stop we headed 90 kilometres south to the other side of the heel of Italy’s boot, to the coastal city of Taranto. Taranto is an important commercial port as well as being one of Italy’s naval base ports and yes, we did see lots of sailors! I think it is worth adding a visit to Taranto, even just for a lunch stop, on your Puglia road trip. The city was founded in 706BC, the old town retains the same street layout of 967 and Greek relics remain in the centre of the city so there is lots of history to investigate, the contrasting modern side of town boasts gorgeous wide avenues and it definitely feels off the tourist trail.

As we had less than 24 hours to explore Taranto, we rose early and decided to run from our Airbnb to the Castello Aragonese and onto and around the tiny island of the ‘Città Vecchia’, the old town which, at first thing in the morning, was pretty deserted and quite imposing in places, with its dark brooding backstreets and neglected palazzos looming over us. It really was quite a unique experience and place; it is pretty run-down and I’m not sure I’d want to wander around at night alone but there is a unique atmosphere. There is also some cool street art which was created by two Neapolitan street artists to decorate some of the derelict buildings.

We headed back over the bridge to the mainland, past the Castello Aragonese, which dates back to the 1400s, and into the more modern centre of town which feels quite glamorous. We stopped for a café and pastry in a splendid palm tree-filled piazza, joining many business people enjoying their morning coffee.

The highlight of our trip to Taranto however was our evening there. Firstly, as we arrived, the taxi driver told us there was a free music concert happening in the centre of the city - the night before Liam Gallagher had played and the evening we were there you could hear Patti Smith singing all around the town and it felt like the whole place was out on the streets to enjoy the music and the summer night. To top that off, we enjoyed an excellent seafood meal at Ristorante a Tutto Mare (Via Ciro Giovinazzi), right around the corner from Patti’s stage, where the hospitality was excellent, the wine superb (we had to go for a bottle from our friends at San Marzano Vini where we had visited on a previous trip) and the food was outstanding. There appeared to be plenty of other good restaurants and bars in Taranto but we didn’t have time to try any others! We were at Ristorante a Tutto Mare for hours seated at a table on the pavement watching the excitement of the concertgoers, talking with the waiters and really soaking up the atmosphere of one of those magical evenings – a night we will never forget! Cin cin!!