Taranto, Italy

In the arch of Italy’s boot, tucked between the Mare Grande (Big Sea) and Mare Piccolo (Little Sea), sits the coastal city of Taranto. Founded by Spartans in the 8th century BC, the “City of Two Seas” is also a city of two faces with two bridges – Ponte Girevole and Ponte di San Francesco di Paola – separating the old town from the new. Legend has it that upon arrival at Taranto, Poseidon’s son saw a dolphin jumping out of the sea and took the encounter as a sign from his father that here was the place to build a town. Be that fact or fiction, dolphins are as common a sight in these waters as people are on Taranto’s pristine white beaches. Combine this coastal scenery with an astounding array of ancient monuments and fresh seafood that rivals any in the world, and you have a seaside city that is as fascinating and fun as it is beautiful.