D'Aquino Street

Via D’Aquino is one of the main streets in the center of Taranto, in the Borgo umbertino. It is an urban axis with a predominantly pedestrian and commercial vocation: it hosts shops, bars, offices, services, and meeting spaces, and is used both by residents for shopping and daily walks, and by visitors as a path to access the modern heart of the city. The street is part of the nineteenth-century expansion of Taranto beyond the Old City, linked to the construction of the navigable canal, the Swing Bridge, and the development of the new district between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its name recalls the d'Aquino family and the cultural tradition of Taranto, in particular Tommaso Niccolò d'Aquino, a poet and literary figure of the eighteenth century. Along and near the street, one can perceive typical architectural elements of the Umbertine and Liberty periods, with historic buildings, decorated facades, and elegant urban perspectives. From a tourist point of view, Via D’Aquino is an ideal starting point to visit the center: it is a short distance from the MArTA, one of the most important archaeological museums in Italy, from the promenade, the Aragonese Castle, the Swing Bridge, and the Old City. It is also a place for events, illuminations, and city life, representing one of the most recognizable images of contemporary Taranto.