Salou, in Tarragona, hosted free historical recreations this weekend at the Kallipolis and Barenys archaeological sites, with the activities forming part of the Tarraco Viva festival. The events gave families a practical look at how ancient markets worked.
Around 60 people, mainly families from Salou and other Catalan municipalities, took part. Júlia Gómez, the Councillor for Cultural Services, attended the sessions, which ran on Saturday afternoon at Kallipolis and on Sunday morning at Barenys.
At Kallipolis, children took on the role of ancient merchants under the guidance of researchers Diana Álvarez and Maria Darder from the GRESEPIA-URV research group. They made local products such as wool and Iberian pottery, then exchanged them for imported goods including Greek ceramics and Phoenician perfumes.
Visitors then joined a guided tour of the Kallipolis site, where they learned about its daily and commercial life. Kallipolis means “beautiful city” in Greek. The visit ended with a tasting of Iberika beer, a craft brew developed from historical and archaeological research by GRESEPIA.
The Barenys session followed a similar format and focused on trade in antiquity. The Roman Villa of Barenys, on Domènech Sugrañes i Gras street, was used to make construction materials and amphorae for wine production. The archaeological park still includes a ceramic kiln with its combustion chamber and remains of a large columned area where clay pieces were worked.
The Salou City Council, with support from the Municipal Tourist Board, says activities like these help strengthen the town’s position as a quality tourist destination and add to its cultural and heritage offer for residents and visitors. Sunday’s programme also included another tasting of Iberika beer. For more local news, see News.