A Tale of Two Cities
The BCN/Barcino itinerary organised by the Barcelona History Museum introduces the public to Roman Barcelona—and to the contemporary city it helped shape.
If you are one of those people who occasionally look at the streets they walk along and imagine what the city might have been like two hundred, three hundred, or almost two thousand years ago, then the BCN/Barcino itinerary organised by the Barcelona History Museum is waiting for you. The route explores the Roman colony founded here, but also the traces it has left on today’s city. The meeting point is Plaça de la Vila de Madrid, on 11 January.
Please note that advance booking is required for this activity. Over the course of approximately two hours, you will be guided through the city’s past, starting at the Roman funerary road (Via Sepulcral) in Plaça de la Vila de Madrid. This space was once occupied by a convent which, after being destroyed by bombing during the Spanish Civil War, gave way to the square we see today.
The first works carried out in the square already revealed Roman remains of great interest, in particular a series of tombs placed—according to Roman custom—on either side of the road leading out of the city.
The visit will take you through various sites connected with Barcelona’s Roman past: from the aqueduct still visible in a square in Ciutat Vella, incorporated into a later building, to sections of the Roman wall and the Temple of Augustus. You will also learn how Roman remains have been treated throughout the city’s history, and how, at times, supposedly Roman elements were reconstructed that are, in fact, quite modern.
If you would like to discover Roman Barcelona and understand in detail how this small Roman colony played a decisive role in shaping the modern city, come to Plaça de la Vila de Madrid. Before attending, be sure to check the information and register on the Barcelona History Museum website.