28th edition of Tarraco Viva: URV brings Rome to life in Tarragona

Tarragona transforms into the Roman capital from May 11 to 24 with the 28th edition of Tarraco Viva. More than a dozen members of the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) bring history to the streets with conferences, theater, and tastings.

The festival, under the slogan "Why Rome?", invites reflection on the fascination that Roman civilization still exerts today, spreading its influence throughout the city and its province.

The university activity that makes Tarragona talk

Conferences to understand Rome from Tarragona

Professor Joaquín Ruiz de Arbulo opens the festival with a talk at the Port of Tarragona, serving as a starting point for the reflections to follow. His two main themes: Julius Caesar and Augustus and the monuments of the Via Augusta, which he will present in various towns of the province, such as Vila-rodona, els Pallaresos, and Torredembarra.

Doctor Patricia Terrado recreates the life of a Roman port from a human and everyday perspective, focusing on fishermen and sellers who made Tarragona a Mediterranean hub. This talk will be at the Port Museum on May 14.

Conversations that connect history and current affairs

Professor Ricardo Mar will debate the impact of classical architecture in the modern world, while Jesús Carruesco and Joan Pascual will explore the journey from classical to contemporary theater, in a must-see event at the Pretorium.

There will also be a conversation about solar eclipses and ancient astronomy that will bring the scientific knowledge of those times closer to the reality we will experience this year on the Iberian Peninsula.

Theater and beverage tasting: history you can touch and drink

The farce of Pappus returns to the terrace of the Walls

The URV Theater Classroom rescues a comic piece from ancient Rome, the Atellan farce, to stage it with the Zona Zàlata company. It will take place on May 22 and 23, at 10 p.m., a brief, informal show with a coarse edge that reflects the spirit of the Roman theatrical days.

Historical tasting of beer and wine at Camp de Mart

David Bea, an expert in history and beer sommelier, proposes a tasting that combines archaeology and millenary beverages. On Saturday the 23rd, there will be a tasting of beers followed later by wines that bring the wine of antiquity from the Caucasus to Rome.

The festival expands: the Extended Campus brings Tarraco Viva to the territory

Conservation of underwater heritage in Cambrils

The Cambrils History Museum and the URV Extended Campus host a conference on underwater archaeological heritage. This activity is part of the Ager program, which brings Roman culture to different points of the province.

Archaeological excavations in Vilafortuny

Also within Ager, the excavation of the Iberian settlement at the Vilafortuny Tennis Club is presented on May 21. This shows that history in Tarragona is not only Roman but also includes other culturally significant civilizations.

All of this confirms that URV and the Tarraco Viva festival are the engine that makes Tarragona vibrate with its millenary history, without losing contact with current life and its people.

Source of the article: Rovira i Virgili University