Terrific Tarragona & Tarraco in Catalonia, Spain
"To travel is to be born and to die at every instant. It is the only way to find out what is truly essential." — Josep Pla
Greetings from Tarragona in Catalonia along Spain's beautiful Costa Daurada! Yesterday I flew from Portugal to Spain for meetings this morning in Girona at the Buy Catalonia event. I met local suppliers, hotels, and attractions from across Catalonia because there's so much to see outside of Barcelona.
After our meetings in Girona, a small group of travel buyers like myself set off in our minibus to start our phenomenal four-day tour of Catalonia. We began in Tarragona and continue tomorrow to Reus, Miravet, Xerta, Horta de Saint Joan, Corbera d'Ebre, and Poblet before ending with a night in Barcelona and a farewell party. Are you unfamiliar with these towns in Spain? Good! That's why I'm here. Barcelona is wonderful, as we all know, but how much do you know about the rest of Catalonia?
Costa Daurada is just south of Barcelona, and its coastline is known for wide, soft sand and shallow shoreline that's particularly great for families. As I write this, Mediterranean waves sigh below my room at the renovated H10 Imperial Tarraco Hotel, which overlooks the incredible Roman archaeological site of Tarraco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, here in Tarragona.
When we arrived, we toured Tarragona Cathedral, and just when you think you've seen enough churches, this one is full of interesting history and architecture. The altarpiece pictured above inspired the spires of Gaudí's famous Sagrada Família church in Barcelona. And it was built, like many things in Tarragona, from the vast Roman Forum after the fall of the Roman Empire. The cathedral's marble floors with intriguing circular patterns were made from slicing cross sections of marble columns. It was built on the site of the Roman Temple of Augustus, beginning around 1171. The restoration work of the colorful fresco patterns inside and the wildly ornate organ made at the height of the Renaissance were exciting to see. And it has a statue of St. George; I just love a good St. George slaying a dragon statue.
From there, we walked through the old town's cobblestone streets made from Roman ruins and peered inside bank windows to see ruins of arches and seats where the Roman Forum once stood. Tarragona is a hallucination of Roman history echoing all around you. We continued to Tarraco, and it's thrilling walking through the cavernous storerooms and what remains of this ancient site before homes and city streets were built on top. Our hotel is literally across the street, and from my balcony I look down over the ruins of its ancient amphitheater.
I've already posted videos from Tarragona Cathedral and Tarraco on Nine Muses Travel's Instagram and Facebook, and I invite you to follow along there and experience this Catalonia tour with me. We're going to off the beaten path places, staying in stylish hotels, and enjoying local cuisine including one of Catalonia's many, many Michelin star restaurants. Come share this journey and see which places resonate with you because I'd really love to help you plan an inspiring Catalonia adventure of your own.
Start planning inspired travel and read more about me and what I can do for you!
Nine Muses Travel designs journeys to inspire artists, arts lovers and the culturally curious.
Danielle Dybiec
Founder & President
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