Page 297 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

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Catalonia Royal Tombs, where many
A nation-within-a-nation, Catalonia has its own semi- Spanish monarchs are buried.
Begun in 1359, they were
autonomous regional government, and its own language. reconstructed by Marès in 1950.
Spoken by more than eight million people, Catalan has
supplanted Castilian Spanish as the first language of the a Tarragona
region, and is used on road signs and in place names
everywhere. Barcelona is the region’s capital, rivaling Tarragona. * 140,000. k £ @
Madrid in economic and cultural importance. Catalonia n Carrer Major 39 (977-25 07 95).
offers a variety of attractions. The flower-filled valleys of Now a major industrial port,
the Pyrenees offer a paradise for naturalists and walkers, Tarragona preserves many
while inland are medieval towns, Roman ruins, and remnants of its Roman past,
spectacular monasteries, such as Montserrat. when it was the capital of the
Roman province, Tarraconensis.
u Parc Nacional Among the extensive ruins
are the Anfiteatro Romano
d’Aigüestortes (Roman Amphitheater) and the
Lleida. £ La Pobla de Segur. @ El Praetorium, a Roman tower that
Pont de Suert, La Pobla de Segur. was later converted into a
n Boí (973-69 61 89). medieval palace. Also known as
the Castell de Pilat (after Pontius
The pristine mountain scenery Pilate), the tower houses the
of Catalonia’s only national Museu de la Romanitat, which
park is among the most contains Roman and medieval
spectacular in the Pyrenees. finds and gives access to the
The main village in the area is cavernous passageways of the
the mountain settlement of 1st-century AD Roman circus.
Espot, on the park’s eastern In the adjacent building is the
edge. Dotted around the park Museu Nacional Arqueològic,
are waterfalls and more than The superb altarpiece at Santa Maria which holds the most important
a hundred lakes and tarns. de Poblet collection of Roman artifacts in
The most beautiful scenery is Catalonia, including some
around Sant Maurici lake, from Carlist upheavals, the abbey beautiful frescoes. An
where several walks lead north sustained serious damage. archaeological walk follows
to the towering peaks of Agulles Restoration began in 1930, and part of the Roman city wall.
d’Amitges. The park is home to monks returned a decade later. Tarragona’s 12th-century
an impressive variety of wildlife: Poblet is enclosed by fortified cathedral was built on the
chamois, beavers, otters, and walls that have hardly changed site of a Roman temple and
golden eagles have all found a since the Middle Ages. Its an Arab mosque, and exhibits
habitat here. evocative, vaulted cloisters a harmonious blend of styles.
were built in the 12th and
i Barcelona 13th centuries. Beautiful, E Museu Nacional Arqueològic
carved scrollwork decorates de Tarragona
See pp296–305. the capitals. Behind the stone Plaça del Rei 5. Tel 977-23 62 09.
altar, an impressive alabaster Open Jun–Sep: 9:30am–8:30pm Tue–
o Monestir de reredos, carved by Damià Sat; Oct–May: 9:30am–6pm Tue–Sat,
Montserrat Forment in 1527, fills the apse. 10am–2pm Sun all year. & (Oct–Jun:
free Tue). 7
Other highlights include the
See pp306–7.
p Poblet
Off N240, 10 km (6 miles) from
Montblanc. Tel 977-87 00 89. £ to
L’Espluga de Francolí, then taxi. @
Open 10am–12:45pm, 3–5:30pm
daily. Closed Jan 1, Dec 25 & 26. &
Santa Maria de Poblet was the
first and most important of
three medieval monasteries,
known as the “Cistercian
triangle.” In 1835, during the View across the Roman amphitheater at Tarragona

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