Tarragona, the heart of Romanisation on the peninsula
Every place has a more or less rich history. Sometimes you have to dig around to find the evidence of times gone by, but that is not the case in Tarragona, the capital of the Costa Daurada. With countless architectural elements and details that we can visit and see with the naked eye, the Tarraco of more than two thousand years ago is perfectly tangible.
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The Romans established in the area what would be their first military camp, the base from which they would begin to occupy the neighbouring settlements, then Ilergetes, Lacetani and Ausetani, all allies of the Carthaginians.
The Roman legacy can be felt in Tarragona today. What was the first Roman settlement on the peninsula grew and became a leading city, where the buildings typical of a Roman town of the period were also raised. An amphitheatre where the most sought-after gladiators tested their muscles and wits, a circus where chariot races scratched at time, aqueducts that supplied water and irrigated the fields that fed the city, and a spectacular forum, the meeting point and heart of the population's life.
Tarragona's Roman Festival has its own name, Tàrraco Viva. It is responsible for spreading knowledge of the city's ancient history, a most valuable heritage that, through staged recreations, brings the public closer to the weight of Romanisation and its impact down to the present day. Every spring the festival fills the city's spaces with a host of activities, shows, gastronomy and even concerts to relive the origins of Tarraco.
During the construction of the modern port and with the city's urban growth, a multitude of objects and furnishings from the Roman era were recovered. Pottery, sculptures, mosaics, coins and personal items have been gathered in the centre for the conservation and dissemination of the material evidence illustrating the process of Romanisation of the Iberian Peninsula. With them we can largely understand what life was like then, and the Museu Nacional Arqueològic de Tarragona manages the exhibition derived from all this legacy.
In short, if the Roman era is your passion, the Costa Daurada has a must-see visit, and in Tarragona, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, a real treasure to discover.