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September 2003

Catalonia - Tarragona and Poblet

David Aaronson
2005-09-27 21:20:16

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- l'Espluga de Francoli - has several excellent wine shops.

Inside the abbey church at Poblet is the biggest concentration of royal tombs in Spain (7). They were reconstructed from damage in 1950 and include several big names in Spanish history including Jaume I and Juan II, the last king of Aragon. Kings and Queens are entombed on these structural supports which are actually above the main floor of the church and tilted in towards the altar. Princes and princesses are buried elsewhere around the church.

Tarragona is perhaps most famous for its Roman ruins. It was founded in the 3rd century BC as the capital of Tarraconensis, a Roman province which eventually included nearly all of modern Spain. This aqueduct it just outside the city on the west side and is fairly difficult to get to (8). There is a road access to the far side (along the road to Poblet) or you can get there via a parking area on the A-7 motorway. If you're driving through on the A-7 at night this is spectacularly lit up and very visible from the road. This bridge was part of a 19 mile (30 km) long aqueduct which brought water to the Roman town.

Elsewhere in town is the Roman arena along the seafront. This is one of the larger individual sites and as you can see in this picture it is right in the middle of modern Tarragona (9). The cross-shaped building set into the middle of this arena is a 12th century Catholic church which has fared little better than the arena it borrowed building stone from. The entrance to the arena involves a small fee but they'll give you a handy guide to the various Roman ruins scattered around town which also includes a Roman circus, underground passageways, houses and the Praetorium.

Modern Tarragona is an engaging sort of place. The main road (Rambla Nova) is an attractive divided thoroughfare and the pedestrian walkways and parks in the center include some very interesting sculpture depicting traditional Catalonian activities like dancing (the Sardana) and Castelling. We spent the evening in and around the old town where there are an abundance of outdoor restaurants and bars.