Taranto

For the World War II naval battle, see Battle of Taranto.

"Tarantine" redirects here. For the dialect spoken in Taranto, see Tarantino dialect. For other uses, see Tarentum (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with the city of Otranto, also in Apulia; with Toronto, Canada; or with tarento ("talent"), Japanese television personalities.

Taranto Tarde (Neapolitan) Tárantas (Greek)
Comune
Comune di Taranto
From the top, left to right: San Francesco de Paola Bridge and the Taranto Cathedral; City hall and the Aragon Castle; and the Palace of Government
Flag Coat of arms
Taranto Location of Taranto in Italy Taranto Taranto (Apulia)
Coordinates: 40°28′16″N 17°14′35″E
Country	Italy
Region	Apulia
Province	Taranto (TA)
Frazioni	Talsano, Lido Azzurro, Lama, San Vito, San Donato
Government
• Mayor	Piero Bitetti
Area
• Total	249.86 km2 (96.47 sq mi)
Highest elevation	431 m (1,414 ft)
Lowest elevation	3 m (9.8 ft)
Population  (2025)
• Total	185,909
• Density	744.05/km2 (1,927.1/sq mi)
Demonyms	Tarantino Tarentino
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	74121, 74122, 74123
Dialing code	(+39)099
Patron saint	Saint Catald of Taranto
Saint day	10 May
Website	Official website
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Via Appia. Regina Viarum
Criteria	Cultural: iii, iv, vi
Reference	1708-013
Inscription	2024 (46th Session)

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Taranto (Italian: [ˈtaːranto] ^ⓘ; Tarantino: Tarde), historically also called Tarent in English, is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. 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 185,909 as of 2025, 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 the Norman period, it became the capital of the Principality of Taranto, which covered almost all of the heel of Apulia.

Taranto is now the third-largest continental city in southern Italy (south of Rome, roughly the southern half of the Italian peninsula), with well-developed steel and iron foundries, oil refineries, chemical works, naval shipyards and food-processing factories. Taranto was the host city of the 2026 Mediterranean Games.

The islets of S. Pietro and S. Paolo (St. Peter and St. Paul), collectively known as the Cheradi Islands, protect the bay, called Mar Grande (Big Sea), where the commercial port is located. Taranto is known for the large population of dolphins and other cetaceans living near these islands. Another bay, called Mar Piccolo (Little Sea), is formed by the peninsula of the old city and is a popular location for fishing and mussel farming.