Taragona

Overview

The city, Tarragona is situated in the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain. It is the capital of the Spanish province Catalonia. The population of this city as per the census of 2009 is about 140,000.This city was known as Tarraco when the Romans ruled this place and was the capital of Hispania Tarraconensis. The full name of this city was Colonia Iulia Urbs Triumphalis Tarraco at the time of founding the Roman colony.

Climate

The average temperatures in a year are as follows:

Maximum – 25 °C in the month of August
Minimum – 8 °C in January

Art and Culture

Monuments

Roman Amphitheater – is located at the seaside and this reminds one of those days of the 2nd century when many people assembled for entertainment and leisure.

Cathedral – was constructed in the 12th century and signifies the Roman and Gothic architecture.

Passeig Arqueol – is a half mile boardwalk built by Romans on top of boulders and while walking through this you will come across many scenic views.

Monastery of Poblet – was founded by the 12th century Cistercian monks and contains alabaster retable, royal tombs and pergola.

El Serallo – is Tarragona’s maritime district where locals and tourists watch the fish arrival and auctioning.

Museums

The Archaeological Museum – has exhibits of Roman relics – ceramics, mosaics, silvers, sculptures, coins, etc. The main attraction here is the Head of Medusa which has a sharp stare.

Casa Pau Casals – museum is housed in the house of Pablo Casals, the famous cellist. There are 17 rooms which have items in his memory – first cello, films and photos of his performance, UN peace medal, photos of artists with celebrities, etc.

Sports and Entertainment

Parks

Amusement Park at Port Aventura – is the largest theme park in Spain and is a 10 minutes drive from Barcelona. The park represents five diverse worlds. It offers white-water and roller coaster rides.

River Ebro – has a natural park near it and nature lovers enjoy this place where you find lagoons, sand dunes, water birds and fauna.

Beaches

There are a large number of beaches along the Tarragona province coastline which runs to 211 KM. Some of the beaches are – Arabassada, Cala Crancs, Capellans, Penya Tallada, Llarga, Llevant, etc.

Shopping

You will find a number of handicraft shops in the historic part of Tarragona and these are concentrated in Ramble Nova area. You can purchase souvenirs – hand crafted – from any of these shops. People mainly visit supermarkets to purchase clothing, household goods, etc.