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Random Tidbits
Mar. 13th, 2009 05:08 pmFor one of the most ancient cities in Europe Taranto hides it well. I went looking for Greco-Roman bits today, with very little success (despite following the "historic walking itinerary"). There was a cool set of necropolis tombs, I grant you, and there's a neatly excavated Roman domus (house) near the park, but not much of what you could call ruins. There are a few columns from a temple to Neptune, but other than that there's not much of the ancient world around here. The taunted aquaduct was a remnant of Roman architecture approximately knee-high. Funny that there's so little, since Taranto was a thriving Greek colony when Rome was just a bunch of hilltop tribes who got together to communally bury their dead in a marshy valley.
The medieval area is not much better off. Crumbling palazzi are in a state of full decay, with one collapsing every few years (and in fact such an event killed a child right before my last visit here). Still, the fact that the city is surrounded on three sides by water makes my Piscean heart sing, and the people are very friendly and down to earth.
Now for the randomness.
I noticed today that several beggars are rotating the same group of dogs in the same spot. Italians are incredibly soft-hearted when it comes to animals and I've seen lots of people take advantage of that, but never quite so cynically (then again, I have a friend who once saw a group of gypsies passing out babies as props).
I broke my pledge to "drink locally" today when I noticed a rack of Aglianico del Vulture, made in a neighboring province, at the grocery store for 5 euros. My wine book has called it one of the best wines Italy produces, but it's such a small region that very little gets exported and it's even reputedly hard to find in Italy. So I snatched a bottle, and it is some serious stuff! Fantastic, as long as you like very dark and heavy reds. Thankfully, I do (thanks Jamie!).
I'm starting to be really comfortable with the language again, which is a relief. I've felt alternately smart and stupid over the past two weeks, but I think that magical fortnight of immersion kicked in because last night things made a lot more sense than they had previously. It's almost a shame that I'm leaving for Croatia on Wednesday (dictated by ferry schedules), but I hope to have a chance to see either Matera or Martina Franca before I head out.
Right now I'm finishing up a brief rest from my very long and circuitous quest for ruins before heading out to busk. The city has been kind to me so far, though not quite so much as last year, and I'm having a really good time. If you're on facebook look me up, I've decided to record and post little (frivolous) video travelogues there. In any event, here's a picture of the 15th century Aragonese castle to tide you over.
The medieval area is not much better off. Crumbling palazzi are in a state of full decay, with one collapsing every few years (and in fact such an event killed a child right before my last visit here). Still, the fact that the city is surrounded on three sides by water makes my Piscean heart sing, and the people are very friendly and down to earth.
Now for the randomness.
I noticed today that several beggars are rotating the same group of dogs in the same spot. Italians are incredibly soft-hearted when it comes to animals and I've seen lots of people take advantage of that, but never quite so cynically (then again, I have a friend who once saw a group of gypsies passing out babies as props).
I broke my pledge to "drink locally" today when I noticed a rack of Aglianico del Vulture, made in a neighboring province, at the grocery store for 5 euros. My wine book has called it one of the best wines Italy produces, but it's such a small region that very little gets exported and it's even reputedly hard to find in Italy. So I snatched a bottle, and it is some serious stuff! Fantastic, as long as you like very dark and heavy reds. Thankfully, I do (thanks Jamie!).
I'm starting to be really comfortable with the language again, which is a relief. I've felt alternately smart and stupid over the past two weeks, but I think that magical fortnight of immersion kicked in because last night things made a lot more sense than they had previously. It's almost a shame that I'm leaving for Croatia on Wednesday (dictated by ferry schedules), but I hope to have a chance to see either Matera or Martina Franca before I head out.
Right now I'm finishing up a brief rest from my very long and circuitous quest for ruins before heading out to busk. The city has been kind to me so far, though not quite so much as last year, and I'm having a really good time. If you're on facebook look me up, I've decided to record and post little (frivolous) video travelogues there. In any event, here's a picture of the 15th century Aragonese castle to tide you over.
