An hour’s drive from Barcelona, my Spain trip continues with a sojourn at Tarragona, one of the most fascinating cities I have ever seen. This ancient city that boasts a mind boggling history of 2,700 years, is a blend of the old and the new and that attracts me. The co-existence of tradition with modernity; here the Casino stares at the Roman Circus right across the road. The happening city revels in its past and present splendour and celebrates its history every day, every minute.
The eternally sunny port city of Tarragona is a fascinating mix of Mediterranean beach life, Roman history and medieval alleyways. Spain’s second-most important Roman site, Tarragona has a wealth of ruins, including a seaside amphitheatre. The town’s medieval heart is one of the most beautifully designed in Spain. it is a maze of narrow cobbled streets encircled by steep walls and crowned with a splendid cathedral.
Sitting grandly atop town, Tarragona’s cathedral has both Romanesque and Gothic features, as typified by the main facade. The cloister has Gothic vaulting and Romanesque carved capitals, one of which shows rats conducting a cat’s funeral…until the cat comes back to life! It’s a lesson about passions seemingly lying dormant until they reveal themselves. Chambers off the cloister house the Museu Diocesà with an extensive collection of Roman hairpins to some lovely 12th to 14th century polychrome woodcarvings of a breastfeeding Virgin.
The main provincial forum occupied most of what is now the old town. Further down the hill, this local plaza was in use by a judicial basilica (where legal disputes were settled) among other buildings. Linked to the site by a footbridge is another excavated area, which includes a stretch of Roman Street. The discovery of foundations of a temple to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva suggests the forum was bigger and more important than had previously been assumed.
The Roman amphitheatre built in the 2nd century AD, could house up to 15,000 spectators, and measured 427 ft × 335 ft. In 259, during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Valerian, the city’s bishop, Fructuous, and his deacons, Augurius and Eulogius were burned alive. After Christianity became the official religion of the empire, the amphitheatre lost its original functions. In the following years some of the building’s stones were used to build a basilica to commemorate the three martyrs. Tombs were excavated in the arena and funerary mausoleums were annexed to the church. The Islamic invasion of Spain led to abandonment of the area, which lasted until the 12th century. In 1576, it became the convent for the order of the Trinity until 1780 when it was used for prisoners who were constructing the port. After closing the prison, it was abandoned up to the mid-20th century when work was started to recover the theatre, funded by the Bryant foundation.
In such a glorious city, my exciting shopping at the Ramblas is cut short, where I am grabbing goodies at the bargain sale. But I am in for a surprise when we go for a Segway tour, followed by a lovely Mediterranean lunch. Going around the old town, a shop with Indian handicrafts catches my eye. With curiosity getting the better of me, I enter, to be greeted by a lady with a namaste! Maria Ruiz surprises me further, by showing off her Ganesha tattoos on the back and front of her shoulders. We get chatting and she tells me how her love for India led to opening a shop with Indian goods. Thanks to Ganesha, it’s doing good business!!
At a glance
When: Spain enjoys a warm Mediterranean weather. April to October is good (spring and autumn)
Where: Lufthansa flies from major Indian cities into Barcelona; from there one hour drive to Tarragona
Visa: Shengen
Currency: Euro (which is RS 68 to Rs 70)
Travel Information: www.spain.info
(The author is a travel writer and a documentary filmmaker focusing on art, culture and history)