The Aqüeducte de les Ferreres aqueduct, also known as Pont del Diable, is one of the most impressing and well-preserved monuments of the Roman Tarraco. Located in a privileged natural environment, the Pont del Diable Eco-historical Park –which is how the entire area where the great aqueduct rests is known– provides visitors with a privileged and genuine experience that will allow them to discover one of the most emblematic sites in the city, one that combines patrimony, culture, nature and gastronomy. That’s four in one. Want to join in?
Limonium, the company behind the transformation of Pont del Diable Eco-historical Park, went to great lengths when trying to integrate their rehabilitation and tourist commercialization plan concerning both the patrimonial heritage and the natural environment, knowing that visitors could make the most of, not just the actual monument, but a combination of Mediterranean scenery, with its own flora and fauna, and an ancient Romantic garden.
The guided tour inside the aqueduct premises will take you back to the Roman period, tell you more about the monument’s construction, where builders obtained their stones from and what it was meant for. The tour does also provide a unique perception of the majesty and sheer beauty of the monument, built over 2,000 years ago and considered an essential architectural element for life in Tarraco, and which is part of the city’s Unesco World Heritage Site.
On the other hand, the tour round the Eco-historical Park will provide you with a clear representation of what Mediterranean natural systems look like, with pine woods and an immense variety of fauna and vegetation adapted to the warm climatology found in the south of Catalonia. In fact, this natural environment is a key element in the context of the municipality of Tarragona, working as the main entrance to the so-called Anella Verda (circular green area) and acting as the city’s main lung. Everyday, the Park welcomes dozens of people that choose to visit the Roman monument on foot, as well as running or cycling.
This Eco-historical Park though, has a last trick on its sleeve for those visiting the area for the first time: once you walk into the premises, and after you’ve come across with a number of historical country houses, you can admire the Romantic gardens built by the Puig i Valls brothers. There are twisted paths, animal-shaped cypress plantations and secret spots full of history.
And if you’re looking for a proper bite while charging up your batteries, Limonium recently refurbished the old Casa del Guarda (house of the guard) and turned it into a restaurant, which can gather up to 80 people. The establishment, only closed on Wednesdays, offers a set menu that varies from season to season, with 3 choices for both starters and main dish, besides a dessert, drinks and coffee. The price for the menu is 15€ for adults and 8€ for kids.
Also, and during the calçots season, customers can enjoy the typical Camp de Tarragona calçotada at just 27€ per adult and 15€ per kid, prior reservation. And if you choose to take the guided tour plus a calçotada in the weekend, then it’s 30€ per adult and 15€ per kid.
The Casa del Guarda, once home for the property’s guards back in the time of the Puig i Valls brothers, is a small Modernist two-storey building. The Casa del Guarda restaurant is one of the basic facilities of the Eco-historical Park, as it becomes a true meeting point, as well as accommodating staff and allowing them to constantly monitor the main path, the picnic area and part of the Romantic gardens from an elevated position. It also provides visitors with toilets.
On the other hand, with the Casa del Guarda restaurant now working, the Eco-historical Park stops being an occasional excursion area, and becomes a place in which you can actually stay. Here’s where the gastronomic aspect of the project takes part, which is basic in order to understand its values: the Mediterranean spirit, sustainability and sociability, while creating a place where people with different spending capacities can interact. In this sense, the restaurant offers a selection of wines and olive oils from different designations of origin within the Tarragona area.
Whether you’d like to have breakfast, a coffee, an appetitive or simply a fizzy drink, recover after a tiring tour or a profitable running or BTT session, have lunch, hold a meeting or a party or, even better, chat for a while with your friends, the Casa del Guarda restaurant is a unique establishment we’d like you to discover.
Guided tour details
Duration: 1.5 hours
Annual schedule: Working days from Monday to Friday (special weekend schedule also available)
Daily schedule: 10am and 12pm
Prices: Aduls, 5€; Children, free under 14. (Kids over 14 years old are considered adults). Check out special prices for groups
Contact and reservations: visites@pontdeldiabletarragona.com or (+34) 675 853 722 or restaurant@pontdeldiabletarragona.com
Text: Ivan Rodon (@irodon on Twitter)
Video and translation: Artur Santos (@artur_1983 on Twitter)
Pictures: Pere Toda (@ptodaserra on Instagram)
Instagram pictures: @javigalgon7 and @joanfort.
