If you plan to spend a summer vacation in this region, get ready for its unparalleled Spanish style of enjoying life, late dinners and having fun in opened bars and pubs in the most active towns until 2 or 3 AM, if not later. Otherwise you can enjoy a more quite and not less interesting place as well.
Costa Dorada offers a very good balance between beach life and urban activities. With Barcelona and Tarragona at both ends of this coastal region, it takes less that two hours by car from city to city. In escence, you can enjoy the beach during the day, have fun in local places, or simply take a break and go to the city to enjoy a Spanish guitar performance in one of the many architectural icons these cities offer.
In any case you will not regret your decision to visit Costa Dorada because it has something to offer for any taste and style.
Tarragona, A Roman Heritage
The origins of Tarragona are established by the arrival of the first romans to the Iberic penynsula circa 218 b.c. during Escipion's conquests campaigns. 'Tarraco' (as the city was originally named), became the first settlement out of Italy and the great mediterranean islands by the Roman Empire.
Since Roman times, we can see one of the most oustanding monuments incredibly preserved today, the city walls. It was a magnificent city , to the point that Augustus himself lived here for over two years.
With its own identity and personality during these historic years, Tarragona became the headquarters for the metropolitan bishops until its assimilation to the Andalucian's domains in 714 a.c.
Tarragona survived wars and battles of all kinds during sXVII and sXVIII, epidemics and pirate attacks. Definitively we cannot put the long history of Tarragona in less than 100 words, but it just takes a visit to live it through its traditions and beautifully preserved architecture to magically transport ourselves back in time...
Originated by colonization of monks and sisters followers of St. Benedict's doctrine, monasteries like Santes Creus (shown in this page), along with Poblet and Vallbona, are a collection of incredibly well preserved monasteries built between 1100and 1200's.
If you are driving in the area, we suggest you go and visit and be amazed by these architectural jewells, enjoy the scenery of the rural roads and have a taste of their produce in the meantime.
We recommend you spend half a day in any of these locations.
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