MUSEU NACIONAL ARQUEOLÒGIC DE TARRAGONA
- Plaça del Rei 5.
- Tel: 977 23 62 09.
-
Tue–Sun. -
(senior citizens and under 18s free). -
- www.mnat.es
130,000.
Carrer Major 39 Tel: (977 25 07 95) .
Tue, Thu & Sun.
Sant Magí (19 Aug), Santa Tecla (23 Sep).
Tarragona is now a major industrial port, but it has preserved many remnants of its Roman past. As the capital of Tarraconensis, the Romans used it as a base for the conquest of the peninsula in the 3rd century BC.
The avenue of Rambla Nova ends abruptly on the clifftop Balcó de Europa, in sight of the ruins of the Amfiteatre Romà and the ruined 12th-century church of Santa Maria del Miracle .
Nearby is the Praetorium, a Roman tower that was converted into a palace in medieval times. It now houses the Pretori i Circ Romans . This displays Roman and medieval finds, and gives access to the cavernous passageways of the excavated Roman circus, built in the 1st century AD. Next to the Praetorium is the Museu Nacional Arqueològic , containing the most important collection of Roman artifacts in Catalonia. It has an extensive collection of bronze tools and beautiful mosaics, including a Head of Medusa . Among the most impressive remains are the huge Pre-Roman stones on which the Roman wall is built. An archaeological walk stretches 1-km (half-a-mile) along the wall.
Behind the wall lies the 12th-century cathedral , built on the site of a Roman temple. This evolved over many centuries, as seen from the blend of styles of the exterior. Inside is an alabaster altarpiece of St Tecla, carved by Pere Joan in 1434. The 13th-century cloister has Gothic vaulting, but the doorway is Romanesque.
In the west of town is a 3rd- to 6th-century Christian cemetery (ask about opening times in the archaeological museum).
The Aqüeducte de les Ferreres lies just outside the city, next to the A7 motorway. This 2nd-century aqueduct was built to bring water to the city from the Riu Gaià, 30 km (19 miles) to the north. The Arc de Berà , a 1st-century triumphal arch on the Via Augusta, is 20 km (12 miles) northeast on the N340.
The bustling, provincial town of Reus lies inland from Tarragona. Although its airport serves the Costa Daurada, it is often overlooked by holiday-makers. However there is some fine modernista architecture to be seen here, notably some early work by Antoni Gaudí who was born in Reus. The Pere Mata Psychiatric Institute was designed by Domènech i Montaner before his masterpiece, the Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau.
The remains of the Roman amphitheatre, Tarragona
Tue–Sun.
(senior citizens and under 18s free).
Tue–Sun.