Il Comune >> La Città >> Taranto attraverso le immagini

The old town is characterised by a great number of GARGOYLES and DRIPS, which used to have the functions of modern gutter pipes. There are many in Largo Pentite, via Duomo, Postierla Immacolata, via Cava, via Garibaldi, vico Seminario but the list of streets could be much longer. Some of them are eaves in the grotesque style like the one (XVII TH century) at the corner of Via Cava and Vico Vigile. In other buildings they have been placed in the front as decorations.

It is interesting to notice that the National Archeaological Museum of Taranto maintains a wide collection of similar grotesque masks, because those earthenware objects were part of the handicraft production typical of the Greek town. These Magna Graecia gargoyles and drips, having the shape of grotesque or monstrous animals, were believed to drive the devil eye away. But masks with the shape of animals, like lions or gryphons, as symbols of strength and courage were also quite common