Taranto - Ponte Girevole

Taranto located on a peninsula was founded by Greek settlers and during the period of Greek colonization in Southern Italy, the city was among the most important in "Magna Graecia". During the Second Punic War, Taranto supported Hannibal in Italy and opened it´s doors to his troops in 212 BC, but when Romans recaptured Taranto three years later, they massacred the citizens and looted the town. It became a Roman colony later.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Taranto got strongly fortified. In 547 Taranto asked a Byzantine general for support. He greatly reduced the size of the city in order to be able to defend it at all. So he separated the part of the isthmus from the actual city area, making an iland out of the peninsula and fortified it strongly. Nevertheless, three years later, the city was conquered by the Ostrogoth troops of Totila. Later Taranto was ruled by Langobards. The city was conquered by the Saracens in 839 and an emirate existed up to 880 when it was taken by a Byzantine army, but in 927 the Saracens were back looted and destroyed the city. It was rebuilt under Byzantine power from 967 on. The Normans conquered Taranto in the second half of the 11th century and founded the "Principality of Taranto" 1086. At that time the city was still strongly Greek and had a thriving Jewish community. Frederic II bequeathed the principality to his son Manfred.

The Ponte Girevole is a swing bridge spanning the navigation canal and so connecting Borgo Antico (Old Town) island to the Borgo Nuovo (new Town) peninsula. The canal was excavated in 1481 as part of the defenses of Taranto. The present steel bridge was built in 1958.

The sun sets over the Castello Aragonese, built for the then-king of Naples, Ferdinand II of Aragon in 1496.