Taranto: the city of two seas

Taranto, a southern Italian city founded by the Greeks in 706 BC, is defined by its layered history, archaeological ruins and abandoned modern buildings, giving it a nostalgic character.
Its distinctive horizontality and its unique position as “the city of two seas” shape both its identity and this project’s intentions. Today, the historic center mainly functions as a passageway between the station and the modern city.

The project seeks to enhance and democratize both the built and natural landscapes by transforming the island’s two coastlines, each with different visual qualities and uses.

The proposal introduces two contrasting waterfronts: a natural, vegetation-rich promenade on one side, and a mineral, pedestrian-oriented coastal front on the other, featuring a new lower boardwalk to reconnect people with the water and the historic walls.

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Master Thesis project - ENSAS

Tutors: Dominique Coulon, Didier Laroche