There is a small local Museum, containing Italo-Greek vases, bronzes, &c., of little importance. Pizzone and Punta della Penna. Under | tion for this outrage. The result of the latter, on the N. shore, is Le Ci- these injuries was the 10 years' war trezze, a small stream called by the already mentioned. local antiquaries the Galasus; though the Cervaro, at the E. extremity of the bay, has with greater probability been identified by most scholars with that classical stream, on whose banks Hannibal encamped, B.C. 212, to watch the blockade of the citadel. On the S. shore, 1 m. from Taranto, is S. Lucia, a pretty but neglected villa, commandind a fine view-once the property of the late Archbishop Capecelatro, and of General Pepe. It was on the 1. bank of the Galæsus, perhaps the present valley of S. Nicola, that Virgil met with the aged Corycian whose skill in agricultural pursuits he has commemorated: Namque sub baliæ memini me turribus altis, On the same bank some of the local Unde si Parcæ prohibent iniquæ, Rura Phalanto. Bacca Venafro; Ver ubi longum, tepidasque præbet Jupiter brumas; et amicus Aulon Fertili Baccho minimum Falernis Invidet uvis. Carm. II. v. Among the ruins of Tarentum are still traceable the remains of a theatre and circus, and some traces of temples. The theatre is pointed out in the garden of the Theresian convent (Teresiani). Its ruins, now encumbered with rubbish, will hardly fail to remind the traveller that it was while sitting in this theatre, which commanded a view of the gulf, that the citizens saw the Roman fleet laden with corn passing on its way to Puteoli, B.C. 280, and were seized with a desire of plunder, which led them to attack the ships. It was here also that they insulted the ambassadors sent by the Roman Senate to demand satisfac | The neighbourhood of Taranto is celebrated for its honey, as it was in the time of Horace, and for the variety of its fruits. The date-palm produces fruit, but it ripens imperfectly. The aqueduct which supplies the city with water is a remarkable work, attributed to the Emp. Nicephorus I. in A.D. 803. The source is said to be distant 20 m., during 12 of which the water is carried through a subterranean channel, whose course is marked by spiracoli, or air-holes. For the last 3 m. it is brought into the city upon arches. Opposite Taranto are two small low islands, the Charades. They were visited by the Athenian general, Demosthenes, in the expedition against Sicily, who was here joined by some Messapian archers. The island of S. Pietro, the largest, is 4 m., and that of S. Paolo 2 in circumference. The monastery of S. Pietro on the former was endowed with various privileges by Bohemond, and his wife Constance, daughter of Philip I. King of France, in 1118 and 1119. The island of S. Paolo was fortified by the Chev. de Laclos, the author of the Liaisons Dangereuses,' who is buried within the fortress. The Capo di San Vito, which forms the S. extremity of the bay, commands a fine view of the town and gulf, and of the distant shores and mountains of Basilicata and Cala bria. It is covered with wild caperplants and asphodels, and has a watchtower, erected in the middle ages as a defence against the Barbary pirates. The title of Prince of Taranto, which was first conferred upon Bohemond by his father Robert Guiscard, was transferred by Charles II. of Anjou to his son Philip. His three sons dying without male issue, the honour, with that of Emperor of Constantinople, was carried into the Del Balzo family by his daughter. The title of Duke of Taranto was conferred by Napoleon I. on Marshal Macdonald of Scottish origin. The district between Taranto, Brin 66 The steamers of the Peirano-Danovaro Company call at Taranto every 2nd Sunday on their coasting voyage from Naples to Ancona, and on every 2nd Wednesday on their way back from Ancona to Naples. From Taranto a road of 16 miles leads to Martina (18,100 Inhab.), a thriving town situated among the hills, and containing a large palace of its former Dukes. A via naturale of 8 m., passing through a succession of vineyards, orchards, and orange-groves dotted with the Casinos of the modern Tarantins, leads to Leporano (1519 Inhab.), a name said to be derived from Leporarium, a preserve of animals. 1 m. from Leporano, on a very pretty low headland, abounding in springs and clothed with rich vegetation, is the Torre di Saturo, near which are remains of mosaic pavements and of bricks, and a subterranean passage, supposed to mark the site of Saturum :Sin armenta magis studium vitulosque tueri, Aut fetus ovium, aut urentes culta capellas: Saltus, et Saturi petito longinqua Tarenti. disi, and Otranto is the country of the | Bari, (see above), and along the Calaspider to which it gives name, the ta- brian coast to Reggio (Rte. 156). rantula, whose bite is the reputed cause of that peculiar melancholy madness which can only be cured by music and dancing. It is now generally admitted that the imagination has great influence in its production. The tarantula is often seen in the neighbourhood of every town of the district. In the last cent. Dr. Cirillo communicated to the Royal Society the result of his observations, proving that the tarantula has not the power of producing any injurious effects whatever (Phil. Trans. xvi. 233). The cure of a tarantata is a musical holiday, and the process is consequently expensive. Tarantismo, therefore, is gradually becoming rare. Mr. Craven has given us an account of the ceremonies observed on these occasions. 'Musicians, expert in the art, are summoned, and the patient, attired in white, and gaudily adorned with various coloured ribands, vine-leaves, and trinkets of all kinds, is led out, in the midst of her sympathising friends; she sits with her head reclining on her hands, while the musical performers try the different chords, keys, tones, and tunes that may arrest her wandering attention, or suit her taste or caprice. . . The sufferer usually rises to some melancholy melody in a minor key, and slowly follows its movements by her steps; it is then that the musician has an opportunity of displaying his skill, by imperceptibly accelerating the time, till it falls into the merry measure of the pizzica, which is, in fact, that of the Tarentella or national dance. She continues dancing to various successions of these tunes as long as her breath and strength allow and sprinkling her face with cold water, a large vessel of which is always placed near at hand. . . . When, overcome by resistless lassitude and faintness, she determines to give over for the day, she takes the pail or jar of water, and pours its contents entirely over her person, from her head downwards. This is the signal for her friends to undress and convey her to bed." There is a public conveyance from Taranto to Lecce (Rte. 150), and thence by rly. to Otranto, Railways open to VIRG. Geor. II. 195. On the shore near Torre di Saturo, at a retired nook called Luogovivo, remarkable for the excellence of its wines, some topographers place the amicus Aulon of Horace, a name supposed to be preserved in the denomination Pezza Melone given to one of the fields: Nobilis et lanis, et felix vitibus Aulon, On quitting Taranto the road leaves the Mare Piccolo on the 1., and a mile off on the rt. the Salina Grande, which was drained in 1820 by means of a covered canal of 2 m., which empties itself into the Mare Piccolo. On the rt., 3 m., is seen Faggiano (1147 Inhab.), a colony of Albanians, and on the hill Rocca Forzata (1013 Inhab.), the birthplace of Giorgio Basta, a general of the imperial army in Hungary in the 16th cent., whose works on military tactics were long regarded as text-books. A steep ascent brings us to 7 m. S. Giorgio (2408 Inhab)., from which the villages of Carosino (1711 Inhab.), made conspicuous by a large baronial house, and Montemesola (2072 Inhab.) on a hill, are seen. On the 1. Monteiasi (1846 Inhab.). Here a road branches off on the 1. to Francavilla. (13 m.) 8 m. Monteparano (1275 Inhab.), the post station. It commands a fine view towards Mare Piccolo. We leave Fragagnano (2585 Inhab.) on the 1., and pass through Sava (4829 Inhab.), situated in an uninteresting country. 11 m. Manduria (8733 Inhab. Inns: Locanda di Palazzo; Locanda della Posta), occupying partly its ancient site, and still retaining its name. It m. contains several good buildings. from the town, at a point called Scegno, close to the old walls, is the well, described so accurately by Pliny: In Salentino juxta oppidum Mandarium Lacus ad margines plenus, neque exhaustis aquis minuitur, neque infusio augetur. The waters are said to preserve a constant level, and never to increase or decrease, however much may be taken from them, but from the quantity of stones thrown into the well it is not possible to ascertain the fact. The well is situated in a large circular cavern in the tertiary rock, which abounds in marine shells. Archidamus King of Sparta, son of Agesilaus, who came from Greece to assist the Tarantines against the Messapians and Lucanians, perished in a battle fought near this town B.C. 338. His body was captured by the enemy, who refused it the rites of burial-the only instance, it is said, in which the body of a Spartan king was deprived of interment. Fabius Maximus took Manduria by assault just before he recovered Tarentum B.C. 209. There are extensive remains of its ancient walls built of large rectangular blocks in regular courses, without cement. They formed a double circuit with a way between them and a ditch on the outside. In some places they are 15 ft. high. Numerous tombs have been found in different places about; and an extensive necropolis was discovered in 1829 close to the modern town on the rt. of the road to Lecce. The principal ch. is ancient, with a richly ornamented Campanile and a rose-window in the W. front. In the Campanile there are stuck in two fine heads, belonging evidently to old monuments. In the little chapel of the Madonna della Pietà, there is a descent to a large subterranean passage, which from within the circuit of the walls is said to have led 2 m. outside the town. On the road to the convent of the Capuchins is the small chapel of S. Pietro Mandurino, from which there is a descent to a smaller chapel about 40 ft. under ground, the walls of which are covered with paintings much injured by damp and neglect. They are of a style not earlier than the 16th cent., but their subjects, saints of the primi- | cultivation has caused to disappear. tive Eastern Church, show that they cross the line of the ancient walls, and must originally have been painted at a proceed to very early period, and only restored in the 16th cent. [A bridle-road of about 30 m. leads from Manduria, through the village of Avetrana (1509 Inhab.), the woods of Modonato and Arneo, along the coast to Gallipoli (Rte. 151). A road of 6 m., passing half-way a curious ancient cut in the rock, 10 ft. broad, ft. deep, and several miles long, which is now almost entirely filled up with earth, leads from Manduria N. to Oria (7085 Inhab.), an episcopal city occupying the site of Hyria, on the Via Appia, according to Herodotus the metropolis of the Messapians, founded by a colony of Cretans before the Trojan war. It is situated on a hill commanding a most extensive view from the Adriatic to the Ionian Sea; and is surmounted by the picturesque towers of a medieval castle, formerly belonging to the Bonifari, who having joined the Protestant movement in the 16th cent., had to leave the country, and subsequently to the Borromeo, and to the Imperial families, and now to a nunnery! It is surrounded by olivegrounds, and the soil is highly cultivated, abounding in vineyards and plantations of fruit-trees divided by high hedges of aloes. Numerous coins bearing the name Orra and inscriptions in the Messapian dialect have been found near the town. A road of 18 m. leads from Oria to Brindisi in Rte. 148, passing through Francavilla, Latiano (5953 Inhab.), and Mesagne (8511 Inhab.). A road of 4 m. from Oria to Francavilla (19,052 Inhab.), a regularly built town, in the midst of a fertile plain, containing some large churches and good houses. From here a new road of 13 m. joins the post one between Taranto and Manduria at S. Giorgio, after passing through the large town of Grottaglie (8747 Inhab.)] On leaving Manduria for Lecce, we pass on the rt. the necropolis, which 11 m. S. Pangrazio, the post-station, beyond which is the village of Guagnano. The next station is 10 m. Campi (4990 Inhab.), from which crossing an extensive plain well cultivated and covered with villages, and gradually ascending, we reach 11 m. Lecce (see Rte. 148). Public mail conveyance in 3 hrs. (3 fr.) Carriages may be hired at 12 frs. per diem for Taranto and Gallipoli. After leaving Lecce, the road passes by the Cappuccini, and through Lequile (1902 Inhab.) to 16 m. Nardò (10,220 Inhab.), the ancient Neretum, a city of the Salientini, a well-built and industrious town, surrounded by a richly-cultivated country, abounding in olive-trees and in plantations of cotton and tobacco. It is the see of a bishopric in conjunction with Gallipoli. The cathedral, of the 15th cent., and formerly a ch. belonging to the Benedictines, was completely mo- | resident merchants are connected with dernised in the last cent. It contains houses in Naples, who purchase_the oil some paintings by Luca Giordano and from the landed proprietors. English Solimena. The episcopal palace contains and United States Vice-Consuls reside a library, in which are some old MSS. here. Near the bridge is a fountain illustrating the medieval history of the decorated with antique bas-reliefs. The province. The small circular chapel castle was built by Charles I. of Anjou, near the gate of the town is an interest- and restored by Ferdinand I. The ing building. Nardò was formerly cathedral is a handsome building, famous for its schools, in which Greek erected in the early part of the 17th was publicly taught, and in, which Ga- cent., and contains some pictures of lateus, who mentions them, was edu- merit by native artists. cated. In the middle ages the marshes between Nardò and the sea, by their phosphorescent phenomena, called mutate, led even educated men to regard them as peopled with airy phantoms. 6 m. to the E. lies [Galatina (10,344 Inhab.), one of the best built towns in this remote part of Italy. The Ch. and Monastery of S. Catherine, which belonged formerly to the Franciscans, were built in the 14th centy. by Raimondo Orsini del Balzo, prince of Taranto, on his return from the Holy Land. The church contains many tombs of the Del Balzo family, and is completely covered with frescos, of the early part of the 15th cent., important in the history of painting in Southern Italy. The apse, which is polygonal, has lancet windows and buttresses of a later date.] 12 m. Galatone (5559 Inhab.), the birthplace, in 1444, of Antonio de Ferrariis, better known as Galateus, physician to Ferdinand II. of Aragon, the friend of Pontano, Sannazzaro, and Ermolao Barbaro, and the author of the work, De Situ Iapigia. 9 m. GALLIPOLI (9951 Inhab.-Inn: Locanda d'Elia, inferior), the Urbs Graia Callipolis of Mela, and the Anxa of Pliny, founded by the Lacedæmonian Leucippus, with the assistance of the Tarentines. It is beautifully situated on an insulated rock in the sea, connected by a stone bridge of 12 arches with the mainland. It is the chief town of a district. It has a good port, and is the principal depôt of the oil of the province, which is collected here for exportation, to the amount of 7000 tons annually. The oil-tanks are excavated in the limestone-rock. Nearly all the The Peirano-Danovaro Co.'s steamers call at Gallipoli every Wednesday on their way round the coast from Naples to Ancona, and every Sunday on their way back from Ancona to Naples. Near Gallipoli is the village of Picciotti, picturesquely situated on a hill. The date-palm grows luxuriantly in the gardens of the villas in the neighbourhood. A fair road leads from Gallipoli to S. Maria di Leuca (Rte. 148), passing through Ugento, Alessano, and Gagliano, from which a bridle-road to Castrignano and S. M. del Capo and the extreme S.E. point of Italy. ROUTE 152. NAPLES TO MELFI AND VENOSA (BY SION TO MONTE VULTURE. There are several routes from Naples to Melfi. I. By the rly. as far as Foggia and Candela, and from there across country to Melfi, 15 m. (Rtes. 146 and 147). The easiest route and the shortest in point of time. |