In Roman times, the city was named Tarraco and was capital of the province of Hispania Tarraconensis. The Old Town is surrounded by the Roman walls which were built on even older massive stones that had been placed there to fortify the hilltop town long before the Romans arrived. The city is developing really intensively and expanding away from the sea into suburban zones of apartment blocks. The most interesting places of the main town can easily be explored on foot, though it is probably less suitable for wheelchair users. The tourists may go sightseeing by train, if it is a long way up from the railway station at sea level to the Cathedral at the highest point of the Old Town. The Cathedral is gorgeous outside. Its construction began in the 12th century, when the old Romanesque Cathedral was begun. The central sculptures of the facade were added in the 14th century. But the interior is quite uninteresting. After the excursion around the walls one can visit the old Roman Forum or have a drink and snack on the Rambla Nova or in the Placa de la Font. That would be proper way to pass a few hours. If you have an opportunity to stay longer you may go to a wider range of Roman remains and if u like to spent time at the beach, better make a trip to one of the best beaches, like Rabassada or Llarga, further East along the coast.
On the Rambla Nova you can find all necessary information about forthcoming celebrations. These include the most important fireworks contest in this Mediterranean area which is held every first week of July. During this time different companies from all over the world take it in turns to do one spectacular display (the full name is Tarragona International Fireworks Displays Competition) each night for a week with the public voting for the winner. The best setting for these displays is the clifftop Balcony. The fireworks are both aerial and aquatic.
Continue reading
This article about Tarragona is written by the orangesmile.com editorial team and is protected by the copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com