Pista Jonica Mottola

Halfway between Taranto and Matera, in Mottola in the province of Taranto in Apulia, the Pista Jonica runs an outdoor track on the Murge of Taranto. The site sits in a rural setting typical of the Murgia: limestone plateaux, gravine (canyons carved by water), historic masserie and ancient olive groves. It is used by Taranto locals for outings with friends and by Salento-Matera holiday-makers looking for an inland motorsport break.

In its outdoor format, the track offers a layout suited to adult and experienced drivers, in the open setting typical of the Murge of Taranto (the site is sport-oriented and aimed at adult drivers). Several engine sizes are available, with higher-powered karts for regulars used to timed sessions. Conditions follow the Apulian Mediterranean climate: drier and faster in summer, more demanding on rainy autumn days. The site hosts enthusiast sessions, motorsport-focused stag and hen groups, corporate events and regional championships.

Mottola is thirty minutes from Taranto, one hour from Matera and forty-five minutes from Alberobello. The region offers plenty more to see: Mottola and its 'Spia dello Jonio' (a panoramic viewpoint over the Ionian Sea), the rock-cut churches of Massafra and Mottola, Taranto and the Mar Piccolo (with its traditional mussel farms), Alberobello and its trulli (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Castellaneta gravine, or a side trip to Matera and the Sassi UNESCO one hour away or Baroque Lecce. Karting in Mottola is a sport option for Apulians from the Murge of Taranto and for travellers passing between the Salento and Basilicata.