Taranto marks Costa Cruises’ first Italian port, marking the beginning of a new season.

More than 5,000 passengers embarked, disembarked, and transited the Costa Pacifica during its inaugural call on June 3.

Another call took place today and the start of the season was officially celebrated with a typical maritime tradition crest exchange ceremony attended by Rinaldo Melucci, Mayor of Taranto, Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises, Sergio Prete, President of the Ionian Sea Port System Authority, and Raffaella Del Prete, General Manager of Italian Cruise Ports of Global Ports Holding.

A total of 19 calls and 80,000 guests are scheduled for Taranto through early October.

Among the destinations on the Pacifica’s week-long itinerary are Taranto, Catania, Valletta, Mykonos, and Santorini.

For guests embarking at other ports, especially Catania, Taranto is both the port of embarkation and disembarkation.

It is our pleasure to have added Taranto to the list of the valuable tourism destinations we offer in Italy and around the world. Last week, the debut was successful. Several of our guests come from abroad and, in many cases, are discovering Taranto for the very first time as a result of our collaboration with local institutions and operators. Costa Cruises president Mario Zanetti said, “As a further confirmation of our commitment, we are already planning to position Costa Fascinosa in Taranto for the summer of 2024.”

As in 2023, Costa Fascinosa will arrive in Taranto every Sunday between June 9 and September 22, visiting the same destinations as Costa Pacifica.