Two thousand years ago, when Roman triremes ploughed through the Mediterranean and the sandals of legionaries pounded across the land, the imperial Tárraco stood on what is now known as the Costa Daurada. Today, even though the years have turned the marble and ceramics to ruins, the Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco is not only a World Heritage Site, it throws a light on an era when the gods roamed a world that was still young.
Whether walking along the Archaeological Promenade – that runs in the shadow of the oldest Roman wall in Hispania – or through the forum, you can still see the traders from the nearby Mare Nostrum making their way around Tárraco, arguing over a handful of silver coins bearing the effigy of the emperor. Maybe you can pick up the aromas of oils and wines from the amphorae carried by women in togas to the temple, or, listening carefully in the imposing amphitheatre, hear the swords of the gladiators. Each walk brings back to life a Roman city that still gazes out over the Mediterranean.