Via Luigi Viola, 5, 74123 Taranto TA
Departing from Naples, you can reach Taranto by car by taking the A3 from Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi via Via Galileo Ferraris. Continue along the A3 and A2/E45 to Sicignano degli Alburni, taking the exit for Potenza. Proceed along the E847 and then the E90 until you reach Via Luigi Viola, near Villa Peripato and its gardens.
Several bus routes are available from Naples Central Station, operated by Trenitalia and FlixBus. Depending on the chosen service, the final stop may vary slightly, but all buses arrive in central Taranto, from where Villa Peripato’s gardens are easily accessible.
You can reach the center of Taranto by train from Naples Central Station. Along the way, the train stops at Potenza station before ending its journey on the west side of Piazza della Libertà in Taranto. From there, a short bus ride is required to reach the gardens.
The Peripato Gardens, which extend over almost five hectares in the Borgo Umbertino of Taranto, overlook the Mar Piccolo. Their name derives from the Greek term "perìpatos", which indicates a place for walking, in reference to the Peripatetic school founded by Aristotle, of which Archita, a scientist and politician from Taranto, was an important exponent. The origins of the gardens date back to the end of the 17th century, when they were known as the Garden of Sant'Antonio and belonged to the de Beaumont family. Initially, the area was cultivated with citrus groves and other fruit trees. In 1832, through a marriage with the Bonelli family of Barletta, the garden became a holiday residence with representative functions. During this period, architectural elements such as columns, steps and vaults were introduced, some of which are still present. In the first decades of the 20th century, the Municipality of Taranto acquired the area to transform it into a municipal villa. Seats, additional columns and a bust of Leonardo da Vinci, recovered from a ship sunk in the Mar Piccolo during the First World War, were added. In 1933, the open-air theatre "La Pineta" was created, later transformed into a cinema and still functioning as a theatre. The Peripato Gardens are home to a variety of native plant species, including Aleppo pines, plane trees, lime trees, cypresses and holm oaks. Recently, exotic species such as horse chestnuts, palms, magnolias, cedars and American cypresses have also been introduced. Today, the Peripato Gardens represent an important green space for the city of Taranto, offering citizens and visitors a place to relax and a connection with local history and nature.
