Tarragona

This article was written by Simon Rice. Read Simon’s southern Catalonia blog on Iberianature.

The coastal city of Tarragona is arguably the most venerable in Catalonia, even in Spain! ‘Tárraco’, as it was known in Roman times, was the Capital of ‘Hispania Citerior’ one of Rome’s two colonies on the Iberian peninsular. Its architectural heritage from this period is of global importance, gaining its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. The Romans were no fools and built the city on high ground well away from the foetid marshes of the riverside area, now occupied by Tarragona’s extensive port and industrial zones. Many guides dwell overmuch on this aspect of the city, perhaps because they first arrived in the city from the southwest. The eastern approaches, following the ancient Via Agusta which led all the way from Rome, give quite a different aspect as the Cathedral tower rises above the Roman walls, emphasising its hilltop location.

Village life vs. City living

Once in the city the rule is always to go up and pretty soon you will arrive in the Casc Antic, or old town, known to the locals as the Parte Alta. Despite being well away from the main business and commercial areas, which are expanding rapidly, this is the real heart of the city. Indeed, people who live within the encircling walls refer to Tarragona as another place entirely as in, ‘Em vaig cap a Tarragona per a comprar la roba.’ (I’m going to Tarragona to buy clothes). Not so long ago the Casc Antic was a very deprived ‘inner city’ zone and respectable Tarragonins would avoid going there, except to visit a brothel or to buy their hard drugs. Recently, however, the place has been transformed and gentrification has followed its relentless path. No bad thing really as in general it’s been a great improvement. The city still retains its axiomatic air of, ‘Com a poble i també cuitat!’ (Like a village and a city) that is to say, it’s small enough to feel cosy but with all the advantages of a city.

A Long History

Although the Roman remains dominate and form the natural basis of a visit, it’s worth bearing in mind the city’s importance in mediaeval times, much in evidence with the ‘palaces’ in Carrer Mayor and Carrer Cavallers, and its jewels of XVII and XVIII architecture. In Casa Castellarnau (C/ Cavallers, 14) one can follow the house’s history through several phases of modernisation dating from its first construction in the XV century right up to the XIX when Els Senyors Castellarnau indulged themselves with the new craze for billiards before decamping for a healthier life in the countryside nearby. The museum also houses one of those rare quirky private collections, including a model of the first plane to fly over the city in 1923!

As there is so much splendid domestic architecture within the Roman walls it is easy to fall into the trap of imagining it thus in Roman times. Not so, however, as the entire walled part of the city was occupied by public buildings, including the temple upon which the present day Cathedral of Santa Maria is built. This dates from the XII Century and is a fine example of Romanesque church architecture. The rest for the most part was occupied by the Provincial Forum of whose few remains, most notably the Antigua Audiència, or old Law Courts and the remains of the entrance gates at Plaça Pallol are the most important. Meanwhile at the sea side of the walls the so-called Praetorium tower, colloquially known as Augustus’ Palace forms part of the city’s most notable splendour, the Circus. Not to be confused with the Amphitheatre, which lies just outside the town down by the beach, the Circus was where the chariot races were held. With the large expanse of banked seating visible at the southern end, It is said to be the best preserved example in the Western Empire and one can get a good idea of its size while having lunch in the Plaça de la Font, the city’s main square, which occupied just one quarter of the space! Moreover, all the buildings on the southern side of the square incorporated the arches upon which the seating was built, some three storeys high, and much of this is on proud display – non better than in the La Caixa savings bank, but rather more convivially in the La Taverna restaurant and Quim’s wine bar! Tearing oneself away and back into the streets away from the ‘official’ remains it’s not difficult to agree with the famous XIX Century English traveller in Spain, Richard Ford, who remarked, ‘The Roman inscriptions embedded . . . are so numerous that the walls are said to speak Latin.’