Lungomare Vittorio Emanuele III

Lungomare Vittorio Emanuele III curves along the Mar Grande beneath Taranto's Borgo Umbertino. Redesigned from 1928 as the scenic frame for a monumental quarter, it links the Palazzo del Governo, the Palazzo delle Poste, the Rotonda and views toward the Cheradi islands.

Why it matters

The seafront developed with the Borgo Umbertino, the nineteenth-century expansion beyond Taranto's old island. It became the city's public waterfront and, from 1928, the setting for a major programme of monumental architecture. Across the water lie the Cheradi islands and the naval roadstead; on the landward side, buildings of the interwar period shape the promenade.

What to notice

The early twentieth-century railing carries the navy's star and the Savoy emblem. Palazzo del Governo, designed by Armando Brasini and inaugurated in 1934, is one of the seafront's dominant buildings. Cesare Bazzani designed the Palazzo delle Poste, completed in 1937, and the Banca d'Italia building, completed in 1942. The Rotonda Marinai d'Italia opens in a broad semicircle on buttresses beside the water. Beyond it, the horizon holds the Cheradi islands of San Pietro and San Paolo; San Nicolicchio disappeared under the works of the commercial port.

Context and history

The islands have long shaped Taranto's maritime history. In 1594 a Turkish fleet under Ali Sinam Pasha used them as a base before being defeated by Christian forces. In the Napoleonic period, a fort was built on San Paolo under General Choderlos de Laclos. After Italian unification, the islands passed to the state and became part of the naval base's defences. Along the shore, the growing Borgo gained its promenade and monumental architecture.