The mayor of Taranto Melucci calls them “perplexities expressed by those who, looking for the classic “nitpicking”, still do not consider Taranto capable of being one of the most popular tourist destinations in the entire Mediterranean” and is probably referring to the denunciation of the state of abandonment of the fountains in our city publicly advanced by the local section of the Liberal Party. In a note it is highlighted that “the cruise passengers who disembarked yesterday in Taranto had to witness a sad spectacle: all the city fountains, except the one in Piazza Maria Immacolata, were turned off. The fountains, elements of decor and symbols of welcome, represent an important part of the image of the city, and their lack of maintenance is an indication of disinterest and abandonment”.
They are the same tourists that the mayor of the Ionian capital proudly speaks of in another note, extolling, rightly so, yesterday’s historic day, Sunday 30 June, when for the first time in the history of the port, two magnificent ships large tonnage cruise, the “Fascinosa” of Costa Crociere and the “Mein Schiff 5” of TUI, docked at the same time at the San Cataldo Pier, disembarking around six thousand tourists “in a city ready to welcome them to make known its natural beauty and the its priceless historical and cultural heritage”.
Maybe a little self-criticism every now and then wouldn’t hurt. Maybe it would be nice if the mayor of Taranto would join the tourists who get off the ships one Sunday and go around with them to make sure that the level of hospitality is adequate to the standards of other Italian tourist cities.
