Tarragona

If you wish to have a great holiday and learn many interesting things at the same time, Spain is the ideal country to visit. Sharing the Iberian Peninsula with Portugal, it is a country full of history and wonderful places to visit; and Spaniards are very kind and sociable. As you can see, you will definitely enjoy your stay here.

“The most pleasant place to rest”

The biggest and the most productive fishing port in Catalonia, Tarragona has a population of approximately 100 000 inhabitants. Three centuries ago, this city, known by the Romans as Tarraco, became the capital of this vast empire.

The Roman poet Virgilius said about Tarragona that it is “the most pleasant place to rest”. Nowadays, people here earn their living from oil, the petrochemical industry and, last but not least, from tourism.

Why Tarragona?

Contemporary Tarragona lies to the west of the cathedral located on the hill, and the Roman memory is lost in a network of streets from the XIXth and the XXth centuries. This is a provincial city that has never known the architectural projects of modern structures, like Barcelona or Girona, for example.

Archaeologists keep finding all kinds of monuments in this region. In 2000, this region became recognized as a UNESCO heritage. A temperate climate, sandy beaches and a large number of fisherman’s dishes are only a few of the extra points in favor of this calm city.

As you climb the walls from the IIIrd or the IInd centuries BC and you follow “Passeig Arqueologic”, you begin to understand the importance of the largest and oldest Roman province in Iberia.

These sandstone blocks, about 12 meters high, and entirely restored, surrounded three terraced levels in the past: a huge temple, the forum (known also as the square) and the vast Roman circus. This circus hosted about 30 000 out of the 40 000 of inhabitants of Torraco in good times.

Magnificent views

For a beautiful panorama, go and visit Pretoria (Praetorium), a stone tower and the former palace of the counts in Barcelona. An elevator will take you to the top of this tower where the city panorama opens. Don’t miss the small-scale reproduction of the city and take a look on the first floor to admire the splendid engraved sarcophagus that shows the legend of Hippolytus.

All history lovers should go and see “Museo Arqueologic”, to admire the beautiful Roman artifacts. The aqueduct in Tarragona, the cathedral or the large number of mosaics must definitely please your eye in Spain, and even more so in these counties!