CONIMBRIGA TOURISM GUIDE
The remains of one of Europe's most sophisticated Roman towns
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Conimbriga, one of Europe's great Roman archaeological finds and one of the best preserved in the Iberian peninsula, is sixteen
kilometers (10 miles) from Coimbra.
It was first a Celtic settlement in the Iron Age, but was occupied by the Romans in the 1st century A.D., who turned it into a prosperous city. It was destroyed during the barbarian invasions, when the Suevi attacked in 468 A.D.
The life of the Romans in Conimbriga can be traced in the House of
Cantaber, the residence of a nobleman and one of the largest houses ever
discovered in the western Roman empire. The opulent villa included its own
bathing complex, a sophisticated heating system, ornamental pools, and
colonnaded gardens.
Nearby is the House of the Fountains, now under a protective cover.
It is a good example of early Roman design and architecture, with bases of
columns, fountains, pictorial mosaics, and paving stones.
The mosaics on the entire site are in almost perfect condition, with incredibly detailed and colorful designs that include motifs of beasts,
hunting scenes, and mythological themes, with one showing Perseus offering
Medusa's head to a monster from the deep. There are also ruins of temples,
a forum, an aqueduct, water conduits, drains, and elaborate piping systems
that heated the town's public and private bathrooms.
A wonderful museum on the site that should be visited before the
ruins, recounts the daily life of this sophisticated town. It displays
large finds such as statues, funerary monuments, mosaics (one of which shows
the Minotaur's head in a maze), and a colossal head of Augustus Caesar that
originally stood in the town's Augustan temple.
Although there are some notes in English around the site, it is worth
investing in a plan or the guidebook of the site at the ticket office in
order to make sense of it all. Don't visit on a Monday, when the museum is
closed.
There's an infrequent bus from Coimbra to
Conimbriga, and another service that stops at Condeixa-a-Nova less than two
kilometers (about a mile) away, where it is possible to walk or hire a taxi
to the ruins. Condeixa-a-Nova has a pousada that occupies a
converted palace, a good choice for those who wish to stay overnight between
Coimbra
and Conimbriga.
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Places Nearby
Coimbra
- Old university town; a tragic love story
Figueira
da Foz - The country's longest beach; exceptional Delft tiles;
casino fun.
Buçaco
- Manueline exuberance in a garden of Eden; the site of Napoleon's defeat
Aveiro
- Colorful boats down attractive canals; a princess-saint; fine porcelain; a
lovely fairytale castle
Alcobaça
- Europe's greatest Cistercian temple
Batalha
- European Gothic masterpiece; spectacular underground caves
Tomar -
Manueline flourishes in "the home of the knights"; "a haunted castle"
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AROUND LISBON
AND TAGUS VALLEY Alcobaça Arrábida Azeitão Batalha Cascais Ericeira Estoril Fatima Leiria Mafra Nazaré Obidos Palmela Peniche Queluz Santarém Sesimbra Setubal Sintra Tomar |
ALENTEJO
Beja Castelo de Vide Elvas Estremoz Evora Marvão Mértola Monsaraz Vila Viçosa ALGARVE Albufeira Faro Lagos Sagres Silves Tavira Vila Real de Santo António Vilamoura |
BEIRAS (CENTRAL PORTUGAL)
Aveiro Belmonte Buçaco Coimbra Conimbriga Figueira da Foz Guarda Monsanto Piodão Serra da Estrela Viseu PORTO AND DOURO Amarante Lamego Porto |
MINHO
Barcelos Braga Gerês National Park Guimarães Ponte de Lima Ponte da Barca Viana do Castelo TRAS-OS-MONTES Bragança Chaves Vila Real THE ISLANDS Azores Madeira |