O tempora, o mores! Or, time for an encore!

Symbol, together with the amphiteatre and circus, of a true capital of an imperial Roman province, the theatre of Tarraco has not fared well in recent times. The remains of the theatre - a semi-circular space built in the 1st century AD, in the age of Augustus, just outside the defensive walls on the southern slope of the city, between the Colonial Forum and the port - have been the victim of unmanaged and utterly careless urban development over the late 19th and 20th centuries, just as much as a significant part of the ruins of the residential, lower half of Roman Tarraco was either destroyed or considerably vandalized over that time period. The theatre of Tarragona is the only of its kind in Catalonia. Till the 3rd century AD it used to be the site of lavish dance and theatrical performances, including drama, farce and pantomime.

The rows of seats were partly cut out of the rock on this 20-metres deep slope. Some of these can still clearly be seen, as can part of the stage. But nothing is left of the spectacular, elaborate three-floor structure that once stood behind the stage (barring a number of exceptional sculptures, corinthian capitals, ceramics and other small pieces now safely stored in the archeological museum). Mind you, the rows of seats were still virtually intact when uncovered in 1884, as were probably also some of the theatre´s architectural structures and the adjoining nymphaeum, a large ornamental fountain. The construction of a warehouse in 1919 and its extension in the post-war years put an end to it, destroying most of what was still left of this magnificent building. In the 1970s a housing project on this spot was stopped due to fierce campaigning. Finally, since 1998 the site is in public hands but its conservation has hardly advanced since then. A project to musealize the abandoned site has been on the table for years now. By name a World Heritage site, but the money (from the Catalan government or the Spanish central government) to make the theatre into a real heritage site is just not coming in. O tempora, o mores!