Imperium Romanum

The city of Tarragona (Tarraco - Hispania)

Added 2022-09-27 10:34:49 +0000 UTC

This week we drove to the beautiful city of Tarragona in Northern Spain. Where Narbonne lacks monuments above ground, Tarragona has all you want.

Tarraco was the oldest settlement on the Iberian peninsula and became the capital of the Republican province of Hispania Citerior. In the time of the principate it became the capital of the reorganized province of Tarraconensis.

The area of Tarraco was first inhabited by the native Iberians who were involved in a lot of trading with both Greeks and Phoenicians. In 217 BC Publius Scipio arrived and made Tarraco into a real Roman city. The city started truly flourishing during the age of Augustus and it was able to maintain it's influential position until the fall of the Western Empire.

Tarragona is most well known for its arena at the beach. A good portion of the huge forum still stands to this day but most interesting is the huge and very well preserved aquaduct, still standing proud. The archeological museum is small but has some very cool finds, the Romans even made a little statue of Alain, how nice of them:).

Although my daugther loves it all, my wife won't be tricked again so easily, she is a hell lot smarter than me unfortunately. I must come up with a new ruse...

Maybe dinner in a slightly too expensive place to grease some hands ;)