Taranto

Taranto (ancient Tarentum), city and port, southern Italy, capital of Taranto Province, in Apulia Region, on the Gulf of Taranto. Taranto has an important naval base, with an arsenal and shipyards; chemical works; iron and steel foundries; and food-processing factories.

The city, founded by Spartan immigrants about 708 bc, grew to be the sovereign city of Magna Graecia, the Greek colonies in southern Italy. Although the Romans captured the city in 209 bc, their rule over the powerful city was not firmly established until 272 bc. The Gothic wars left Taranto in the hands of the Byzantine Empire after ad 540. It was captured in 661 by the Lombards, then taken by the Saracens. It was captured by Robert Guiscard, the Norman adventurer, in 1063. Later it shared the fortunes of the kingdom of Naples. In 1940, during World War II, severe damage was inflicted on the anchored Italian ships by a British naval force. Population (2001) 202,033.