Do you see yourselves as one of the first Early Christians of Tarraco sneaking across the streets in Part Alta afraid to be discovered? Are you keen on finding out the way prostitution was structured back in the Roman period? Would you like to attend a supper and a medieval concert with music instruments of that time? And how about enjoying a history re-enactment event in the Amphitheatre of Tarraco about a military victory of the ancient Rome?… Between 15 July and 3 September, it’s time for a brand new edition of the Tarragona Historia Viva festival, which includes history re-enactment shows in some of the main local monuments declared as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, such as the Amphitheatre, the Roman Circus, the walls or the Aqüeducte de les Ferreres. Of course, summertime in Tarragona is much more than superb weather, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, walking about or trying the best gastronomy; summertime in Tarragona will bring you back in time while learning about singular stories that will definitely move you.
For instance, you’ll get to know gladiators that would do anything for their own personal glory, or walk around with urban militias that would give their lives to protect the Tarragona of 1800, or get to see, with your own eyes, how the Roman Aqueduct was built.
All the activities will be held on every Friday and Saturday evening, except for music concerts by Ludi Scaenici, one of the most established groups of the Tarraco Viva festival and, surely, the best specialists in sounds and music instruments from the Ancient Rome. Ludi will offer 2 concerts, on Thursday 4 and 11 August.
One of the other main local entities of the Roman world is the also Italian Instituto Ars Dimicandi. They will train those attending in the gladiatorial art, that is the fights, a very appealing and essential show that will certainly demystify everything we’ve seen in Hollywood movies. Ars Dimicandi will perform on 12, 13 and 14 August, on a show slightly different to the one they usually bring to Tarraco Viva. This will be the only foreign participation in the activities catalogue of the Tarragona Historia Viva festival, as most of its re-enactment groups are actually from Tarragona.
In this sense, a particular shows deserves our special attention: a recreation of a military victory of the Ancient Rome, which will be held in the Amphitheatre of Tarraco, on 5 and 6 August. This show, which will gather the 3 local history re-enactment groups (Projecte Phoenix, Nemesis ARQ and Thaleia, with music by Ludi Scaenici) will become of the main attractions of this year’s edition. It is expected to gather up to 400 people in each one of the 2 sessions scheduled, becoming one of the main projects of a festival that will certainly move one step forward this year.
As for pricing, in all cases, it’s 12€ per show, apart from the Gastromusicae –the Medieval music and supper due on 2 and 3 September in Antic Ajuntament–, which will cost 25€. All activities of the Tarragona Historia Viva festival can be followed in both Catalan and Spanish, with English and French commentaries. Tickets, limited to the capacity of the shows, are already available and can be purchased at www.tarragonaturisme.cat/en, in any of the 3 Tarragona Turisme tourist offices (Antic Ajuntament, Rambla Nova and Camp de Mart), and in the very same show premises, 1 hour prior to every show’s start time.
Text: Ivan Rodon (@irodon on Twitter)
Translation: Artur Santos (@artur_1983 on Twitter)
Pictures: Rafael López-Monné (@lopezmonne on Twitter)
‘TARRAGONA HISTORIA VIVA’ PROGRAM
