Roman Lusitania
Summary
The Romans in Portugal and Spain
Rome first ventured into the Iberian Peninsula in 218 BCE, campaigning against Hannibal and the Carthaginians. By the time of the Emperor Augustus, 200 years later, all of Spain and what was later to become Portugal, was in Roman hands. The province of Lusitania included much of Portugal and western Spain, and its capital, Mérida, is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in Europe, although still surprisingly little known to mainstream tourism. We will travel through beautiful Portuguese landscapes of rolling countryside dotted with cork oak, vineyards and olive groves across to Spain’s remotest region, the Extremadura, with its mountains, forests and lakes.
What to Expect
- Discover superb Roman monuments and extraordinary feats of engineering at the Prosperino Dam and Aqueduct Los Milagros
- Enjoy beautiful landscapes from the coast at Lisbon to the Spanish Extremadura and the heart of old Spain
- Explore Mérida, Evora and the lovely town of Cáceres, a gem of a perfectly preserved medieval town
