Roman Barcelona highlights

[caesar novus]

Here goes some impressions of Roman sites in Barcelona's gothic quarter. This maze of streets east of the famous Ramblas tourist epicenter isn't always accurately portrayed on maps or guidebooks, so here are some tips by the naive for the naive. Experts feel free to fill in.

 

1) http://www.barcelona.com/barcelona_directo...ona_city_museum has a fantastic network of walkways suspended over excavations of Roman Barcino. The excavations themselves can be on the mundane side (dyeing vats, wine fermenting tanks), but the quality of walkway logistics and labeling raises the experience to a higher level. Maybe this has a low profile because they forbid photography and you can hardly see a preview anywhere. Where: from the rear of the main cathedral nearby, continue walking a couple blocks away from the curved rear of the church, zigging a bit left when blocked. Costs money, but you get a/c, w.c., seating for it.

 

2) Big Roman Temple Columns: This is a room just off an L shaped alley behind that same cathedral with quite impressive columns. You are so close to them that they don't photograph well, so again hard to get a preview that does them justice. I believe the text says that they were relocated in the past, but now are somewhere near their original location? I think these are often mislocated on maps, so find an alley going rearward from the rear of the cathedral. There are two that are parallel to the churches centerline; take the one offset to the right which has an L to the right. Opposite the crotch of the L, look for a doorway to the left which should catch your breath pretty quick. Free with seating.

 

3) Cemetary with Roman tombstones. There is a plaza several blocks northwest of the cathedral that has a sunken area with grass (a rare sight in Gothic Quarter that first catches your eye) and tombstones that are labeled Roman (I have no independant source or verification of it). Maybe the inscriptions are interesting for Latin readers...