This past fall I spent over a month in the Italian region of Apulia. One of the highlights was finally going to the once great city of Taranto, a port on the inside of the heel of the boot of Italy. In was known as Taras in ancient times, and was one of the Mediterranean’s great cities, founded by Spartans in the 8th century BCE. It was once the terminus of the famous Roman road, the Appian Way. There are columns of a Doric temple to Poseidon still standing there, from 500 BCE, and a great Aragonese Castle. But my favorite image from Taranto was these bridesmaids at a wedding of their uncle at the cathedral in the old city.