Stay Here | Hotel L’Arcangelo, Taranto

A visit to Taranto’s historic centre reveals the beauty underneath this much neglected city. This is southern Italy at its most authentic, hardworking and, perhaps, just a little bit edgy. But culture is coming and art is the new steel. Urban regeneration is underway and here’s the perfect place to stay and soak it up.

Like gin (and tonic), Taranto was an acquired taste that with perseverance we learned to love. And just like a gin and tonic it delivers each and every time we taste it, a deep pleasure worth enjoying.

Our love affair with Taranto’s borgo antico, the historic old town located on a small island between the Mar Grande, a bay in the Gulf of Taranto, and the Mar Piccolo, started with the cozze for which it is famed: its mussels. Tarantina mussels are unlike any other we have tasted.

Then there’s the old town itself. Much of it dilapidated. Raw and gritty, yet breathtakingly authentic. Scattered on its edges, some fine restaurants with exceptional seafood and fish. Within its winding alleyways new art galleries, wine bars and pop-up spaces are appearing alongside the street art and rusted street signs.

Culture is coming, and the old town is at the center of Taranto’s revival. Hotel L’Arcangelo, an independently owned boutique hotel, is a perfect example of the right kind of regeneration. 

Ideally located on Piazza Fontana at the northern end of Taranto’s borgo antico, the hotel is stylish, clean and bright with spacious rooms. We had one of the friendliest welcomes we have experienced in Puglia, with cake and a glass of sweet wine, a symptom of a hotel bursting with pride. Pride in their city and in the service they provide to their guests.

Our dual aspect corner room was generously proportioned, clean, comfortable and quiet. It had two balconies, one with a small table and two chairs and a romantic view onto the Piazza Fontana. Romantic is not a word we ever thought we would use in the same sentence, or even paragraph, when writing about Taranto. But we were wrong. Taranto is a wonderful and unique part of southern Italy.

We recommend asking for a room overlooking the piazza with a balcony, and if possible on the corner with the dual aspect.

We were able to park on the piazza overnight, for free (we could see our car from the room).

A stay in Taranto’s borgo antico is as essential as a trip to Alberobello and Polignano a Mare. Perfectly positioned to stop off from a visit to Grottaglie’s ceramic galleries and en route to the Ionian coast’s stunning beaches south of Taranto. 

And there’s only one place you need to know about to stay in Taranto. This is it.

As always we paid in full for our stay at Hotel L’Arcangelo and received no payment or incentive for our review.