Lots of petrochemical industry sits outside of the old town, and the port makes shipping simple. It was the port that originally led the Romans to Tarragona, from which they captured the peninsula (about 3rd century BC). Today, the old town is paradise for Roman and medieval scholars. We were getting a private tour with two architect/archaeologists who have done extensive work on modeling the old Roman buildings, one of whom used to be the director of the Museu de la Romanitat and part of the town's board of cultural preservation. We were also going to see an exhibition they did for the city, reconstructing that Roman past. Woohoo!
Right away, as we approach the old town, we see them. Look through the windows of this (not-yet-open) bank and that is Roman construction.
And as you walk around, everywhere, you see more. It's remarkable how much is still around.
Sometimes you get Roman and medieval together. Stunning!
I think this is completely modern, but I liked it. Such an interesting sidewalk.
Inside the museum, there are all kinds of Roman and medieval treasures. It's greatest fame, though, comes from the passageways for the Roman circus from the 1st century AD. This pretty window looking over a courtyard is the colors of the Catalan flag.
The cathedral is spectacular. Built mostly in the 12th and 13th centuries over both Roman ruins and an Arab mosque, it is both Gothic and Romanesque. And, as you can see here, it wasn't quite finished. It's older and bigger than the cathedral in Barcelona, however, and was the first bishopric in Spain.
But the relief carvings! This is at the entryway.
A huge and glorious organ! And we were lucky enough to hear it while we were there. The sound just filled the massive interior and reverberated through me. I could have stayed and listened all afternoon. But, there were more wonderful things to see.
Including gorgeous marble carvings, this one of Juan of Aragon. These would be stunning works today. But when I think about what artisans were capable of all those hundreds of years ago, when they didn't have computers to model for them, or the advances in tools that we have now, I'm just amazed.
One of the hallmarks of Tarragona is the large number of huge stones that the Romans used to build their walls and the necropolis. You see some of them incorporated into buildings around town. Others are preserved in the Museu Nacional Arqueològic. They are all property of the city, but it's hard to manage them when they are in private buildings. All told, Tarragona boasts around 500 Roman inscriptions, which are doing a considerable job in helping scholars decipher the daily lives of ancient Romans. One of our consultants read some of them to us....
I love the juxtaposition here of the Roman tunnels and road with the modern city. Originally the city had three levels of walls: the circus, about 300 meters for chariot races; the plaza, the largest in Europe, and the palace, where the cathedral now stands.
Those tunnels I mentioned above. There are chambers off to the sides and the kids had a great time running through and exploring.
And the amphitheater, with the Mediterranean in the background.
It was an incredible day. As usual, there is just not enough time. We didn't have time to do the archaeological walk around the wall and towers. I'd been so excited about the possibility of seeing the castells, the human towers, while in Spain, and they were setting up for a competition as we were leaving. So close! It was great to see the teams and their colors, but I can't help but feel that I did miss out on that one, as Tarragona would have been a much "saner" venue (i.e., smaller and less crowded) to see them, and is their "home."
Once back in Barcelona, the American consultant and his family went off to spend their last evening in the city. I went with my colleague to help with a little souvenir shopping, and then a wrap-up over dinner. He was headed back to DC the next morning, and I would relocate to my apartment and start a bit of vacation.
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