Merida, Spain Travel Guide

71km (44 miles) S of Cáceres, 56km (35 miles) E of Badajoz

Extremadura’s regional capital paints a vivid picture of everyday life at the height of the Roman Empire. Founded by Emperor Augustus in 25 b.c. as a colony for retired soldiers from his Spanish campaigns, Emerita Augusta was the capital of the province of Lusitania and one of the most important cities of the empire because it sits at is at the intersection of the Roman roads linking Toledo with Lisbon and Salamanca with Seville. Mérida has some of the best-preserved Roman ruins outside Italy, including an evocative theater complex that hosts a dazzling summer festival, one of the longest Roman bridges still standing, and a world-class museum of Roman art. The ruins stand cheek-by-jowl with buildings in a modern town, whose citizens seem to take the ancient treasures in their stride.

Old Mérida can be covered on foot. Pay scant attention to the dull modern suburb across the Guadiana River, which skirts the town with its sluggish waters.