Tonight, Friday, August 21, the curtain officially rises on the XX Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026: the Opening Ceremony is scheduled from 8:00 PM at the Erasmo Iacovone Stadium and will be broadcast live on Rai 2.
But the sporting event will also be an opportunity to discover a corner of Puglia through an itinerary that will involve 13 Municipalities (which will host official competition venues), from Taranto to Lecce, passing through art cities, villages and seaside locales. The competition venues thus become stops on a possible journey to be built between one event and another.
Taranto, the Heart of the Games
It is naturally Taranto at the center of the event, with numerous facilities spread across the city. At the Iacovone Stadium, football matches will be played, while the Giuseppe Valente Stadium will host all-commonly attended athletics events. At the Torre D’Ayala there are planned swimming, fin swimming and water polo; at the PalaMazzola the volleyball and the fencing, and at the PalaRicciardi the boxing. Parco Cimino, on the Mar Piccolo, welcomes the roller marathon, while the Torpediniere Nautical Center is dedicated to sailing, canoeing and rowing. Among other venues are the Giardini Peripato for the basketball 3×3, the Magna Grecia Tennis Center for the tennis tournaments, the Parco del Mediterraneo in Salinella for padel and skateboarding, and Taranto’s urban circuit for the triathlon.
Between one competition and another, Taranto, the city of the two seas where evocative legends abound, invites you to stroll through the Old Town, between alleys, ancient churches and historic palaces, reaching the Aragonese Castle and the Vittorio Emanuele III Seafront. Also not to be missed is the Ponte Girevole, one of the city’s symbols.
In Piazza Garibaldi, moreover, the Fan Village will be open until September 3, every day from 6 PM to midnight, with free admission.
From Brindisi to the Valle d’Itria: the Games sites not to miss
The journey can continue northward. In Brindisi, football will be played at the Franco Fanuzzi Stadium and women’s volleyball at the PalaPentassuglia: outside the venues it’s worth taking a walk through the historic center and along the promenade up to the Roman columns near the port. In Fasano, instead, handball will bring the Games to the town’s arena, offering the chance to pair sport with the historic center and the Savelletri coast.
In Conversano the handball matches will also take place at the Pala San Giacomo, a short distance from the center dominated by the castle; Martina Franca will instead host judo, karate and wrestling at the PalaWojtyla, amid Baroque palaces and the atmospheres of the Valle d’Itria.
The other venues: the itinerary in the Taranto area
Closer to Taranto, Crispiano, famed Land of the 100 Farmhouses, will host archery at the new facility built in the San Simone area, while in Francavilla Fontana one will be able to pair badminton (Sports Hall) with male and female football matches (Giovanni Paolo II stadium), alongside a visit to the historic center.
In Grottaglie, the kingdom of artistic and rhythmic gymnastics (Campitelli Palasport), one can stop by the ceramics district; Massafra will host taekwondo at the Giovanni Paolo II Pavilion, among gravine and rock-cut churches.
Montemesola, the stone balcony over the Taranto Gulf, will host bocce at the Palazzetto dello Sport, while at the Horse Club Terra Jonica in San Giorgio Ionico the events will focus on boxing, weightlifting and equestrian. Here you should not miss the Tagghjate archaeological-industrial park, an ancient complex of tufa quarries.
Torricella, finally, with its Muscettola Castle, will be the official site for the target shooting competitions (at the Palazzetto dello Sport) and shooting (at the municipal facility).
Lecce, a stop between sport and Baroque
In Lecce the schedule will bring volleyball to Palaventura and men’s football to the Ettore Giardiniero Stadium. Once the match is over, Lecce offers one of the most scenic faces of Puglia: Piazza del Duomo, the Basilica of Santa Croce, the Roman Amphitheater and the historic center, cradle of the Leccese Baroque.
The Palinuro arrives in Taranto: the ship can be visited
To complete the Tarantine experience, on the occasion of the XX edition of the Mediterranean Games, the Palinuro ship will be moored at the Aragonese Castle quay until August 24.
The sailing ship of the Navy will be open for visits on Saturday, August 22 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM and on Sunday, August 23 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
