Agreement to boost shared Roman heritage
President of the Generalitat Salvador Illa will sign a cooperation protocol between the cities of Tarragona and Mérida on Thursday 17 September to jointly promote their Roman theatres, both designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The agreement will be signed during Illa’s two-day institutional visit to Extremadura, where he is marking Catalonia’s National Day (Diada) in Mérida. The pact aims to enhance the protection, dissemination, and international projection of the Roman Theatre of Mérida and the Teatre de Tàrraco in Tarragona.
According to the Generalitat, the collaboration will focus on joint cultural programming, academic research, and tourism promotion of the two ancient monuments, which represent key archaeological sites from the Roman period in the Iberian Peninsula.
Diada commemoration highlights migration ties
The visit underscores historical and cultural bonds forged through 20th-century migration.
The Diada event will centre on the legacy of Manolo Vital, an Extremaduran emigrant who became a prominent community leader in Barcelona’s Torre Baró neighbourhood. A founding president of the area’s first residents’ association, Vital led a 1970s campaign to secure public transport access, famously hijacking a bus to prove the route’s viability, a story depicted in the film El 47.
The film will be screened at Mérida’s Auditorium on Wednesday evening ahead of the official Diada ceremony, attended by Vital’s granddaughter Joana Vital. Illa’s trip also includes a visit to La Zarza in Badajoz, home to a monument honouring Extremadurans who migrated to industrial regions including Catalonia.
Tarragona mourns bookshop founder
Tarragona is mourning Montserrat Bertran Macià, co-founder of the historic Llibreria Adserà on Rambla Nova, who died at the age of 86. She ran the bookshop for 54 years after opening it in 1966 with her husband Antoni Adserà, taking full leadership following his death in 1983.
Her wake will be held on Monday 14 September at Tarragona’s Municipal Funeral Home. The bookshop, listed among Catalonia’s accredited cultural bookshops by the Generalitat, has been a landmark for generations of readers.
CBT eliminated in Catalan basketball league
Tarragona’s CBT basketball team has been eliminated from the Catalan Third Division FEB League after losing 86–87 to OCA Global CB Salou in a match at Serrallo that went into double overtime. Despite leading for most of the game, CBT’s efforts were hampered by injuries to players Loras and Suárez, and Salou secured victory with last-second free throws.
Improved hazelnut harvest forecast
Farmers in the Camp de Tarragona region expect a better hazelnut harvest this year, forecasting around 5,000 tonnes, between 70% and 80% of a typical yield, following three years of drought. Unió de Pagesos reports good fruit quality, though notes the loss of 2,000 hectares near the Riudecanyes reservoir and ongoing challenges from pests and high temperatures affecting this minor crop.
Primary sources: govern.cat, Tribuna d'Arqueologia, llibreria.gencat.cat. Reported by radiociutat.com, abc.es, diaridetarragona.com, 20minutos.es, cronicacataluna.es, tanatorio-tarragona.com, elperiodicoextremadura.com, tarragonadigital.com, Ràdio Ciutat de Tarragona.
