PORTO OF TARANTO, 25 OCTOBER 2024 - It just ended the sixth edition of the Taranto Port Days (TPD), an event organised by the Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea - Port of Taranto under the patronage of the Municipality of Taranto and the Southern Interregional Maritime Command of the Italian Navy, in collaboration with The International Propeller Club - Port of Taras Association.
The initiative, which took place on 11 and 12 October, is part of the Italian Port Days promoted at national level by Assoporti. In full synergy with the national Port Network Authorities, has identified the themes of inclusion and disability as leitmotif of the 'Port Days' event, which, from north to south, has given rise to numerous initiatives to disseminate port culture.
Bringing the city closer to the port and the port closer to the city: with this objective, the Taranto Port Days welcomed people of all kinds and ages, aiming to make Inclusion the connecting bridge between the various events that alternated, from morning to evening, at Quay 1. Drawing inspiration from the points of Goal 10 of the UN Agenda 2030, the TPDs also dared to boldly tackle the issues of inequality, involving key stakeholders from multiple spheres of the social, public and private fabric. Thinking big, the Taranto event seems to have been the forerunner to the most important and acclaimed G7 on "Inclusion and Disability" (Assisi and Solfagnano, 14-16 October 2024), an international forum that brought together in Italy the leaders from seven of the world's leading advanced economies promoting the global commitment to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Taranto port city, in its own small way, also played its part.
The Port of Taranto hosted a huge programme of events: for the edition that has just ended, it was the Quay 1 that acted as a natural stage for the TPDs, physically connecting the port and the city in one big cultural platform. The great participation during the port days resulted in the sea becoming the element that shaped the inclusive dimension of the port of Taranto. The people counter far exceeded the threshold of 5,000 visitors who, with great enthusiasm, made the 2024 TPD edition unique. Many took part in the port visits by land and sea, discovering the past, present and future history of the port of Taranto. There was no lack of cultural and current events, but also sports, art, education, music and theatre. The TPDs continue to be a great symposium dedicated to port activities, where the sea takes centre stage, growing year after year in both content and the number of participants. These participants, with a spirit of cooperation and sharing a common goal, have contributed to the success of the last edition of the event.
This year, Taranto Port Days 2024 are supported by: Vestas Blades Italia Srl (main sponsor), Banca Intesa San Paolo,SJS srl, Acciaierie d’Italia, Rimorchiatori Napoletani srl, DBA Group, SJS Engineering and Ecologica spa as sponsors; as well as Fondazione Taranto25, Jonian Dolphin Conservation, Masseria Cappella, RAFFO, Masseria Frutti Rossi Srl, Antonio Petrocelli s.r.l., Ecotaras Srl, La Casa di Sofia Aps, Associazione nazionale Vigili del Fuoco (National Firefighters Association), La Vela – Società Cooperativa Sociale and Cooperativa Logos, as partner