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Taranto, Italy —
Greek legend tells the story of Taras, son of Poseidon, whose ship was wrecked while sailing between Italy and Greece. The sailor’s sea-god father dispatched a dolphin to rescue him, which he rode to the shores of the Ionian Peninsula. Safely on dry land, Taras established a city. Ignoring the role of his aquatic rescuer, he named it after himself.
Some 4,000 years later, Taras is now Taranto, Puglia’s second-largest city. While it has shed the name of its legendary founder, Taranto’s connection to the dolphin has remained strong.
From ancient local coins, statues and figurines, to the city’s coat of arms and the crest of its professional soccer team, the noble cetacean is everywhere — often with Taras on its back. Today, a fresh connection to one of the ocean’s most beloved inhabitants is shaping an uplifting story for Taranto — and a new future for dolphins currently in captivity.
