Ponte Girevole

The Ponte Girevole — the swing bridge — is the main connection between Taranto's historic island city and the mainland, and it is one of the defining images of the city. Completed in 1887 to a French design, the bridge rotates on a central floating pivot to allow ships to pass through the navigation canal that connects the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo. The sight of its entire span slowly rotating sideways is memorable.

The bridge is not just a relic; it opens several times a day whenever vessels need to pass, and watching the mechanism work is genuinely satisfying. Cross it on foot to get from the old town to the modern city, or stand on the embankment of the new town to photograph the old city skyline with the castle and the cathedral towers beyond.

things to do sight
A story
The bridge was built by the French company Schneider & Cie in 1887 and has been opening to let ships through ever since. It rotates on a central pivot — the whole 100-metre span swings sideways on a float — and is one of the few functioning swing bridges of its era still in daily use in Italy. When a warship from the naval base passes, the whole bridge pivots and foot traffic and traffic have to wait.