Paul of Taranto to recreate the same metal that he started with, he obviously did not break the metal down into the pure elements, but instead into some intermediate phases. Paul of Taranto Paul of Taranto was a 13th-century Franciscan alchemist and author from southern Italy. (Taranto is a city in Apulia.) Perhaps the best known of his works is his "Theorica et practica", which defends alchemical principles by describing the theoretical and practical reasoning behind it. There is also evidence to suggest, however, that Paul is also the author of the much more widely known alchemical text "Summa perfectionis magisterii", generally attributed
History of Taranto Persano was put under trial for incompetence and cowardice, and his easy days in Taranto was indicated as part of his bad behaviour. During World War I, Taranto was a base for Regia Marina warships. On 2 August 1916, , a , sank after alleged sabotage. On the night of 11 November 1940, during World War II, the Italian ships, which were at anchor in "Mar Grande" and "Mar Piccolo", were severely damaged by British naval forces in what became known as the Battle of Taranto. British forces landed near the port on September 9, 1943 as part of the