AMONG the numerous tourist attractions gradually reopening across Spain, one which should be on every traveller's bucket list started taking in visitors today (Tuesday): Mérida's Roman city.
The Mitreus House, the theatre and amphitheatre and the circus, among other incredible structures dating back over 2,500 years and still standing strong and beautiful, this visitors' Mecca in the land-locked western region of Extremadura is probably one of the most overlooked in Europe – but as soon as inter-provincial travel is allowed again, it should feature near the top of everyone's list, whether or not they are interested in history.
Even with the legal limit of one-third of the normal safe maximum, the theatre and amphitheatre still have space for up to 800 people all at once, says the heritage conservation manager of the Mérida Monument City, Félix Palma.
Hand-sanitiser and masks are compulsory and handed out at the entrance, and extra security is on site to ensure everyone sticks to the rules, plus tickets are being sold online to avoid person-to-person contact – and visitors are strongly encouraged to buy theirs this way if they have the facilities to do so.
“We want to assure the public they are completely safe here, because we've made sure they will be, but we also want to urge the public to visit us,” Palma says.
Despite the fact people travel across continents to see other Roman ruins of equal or even lesser quality and conservation, the vast majority of those who go to Mérida are from Extremadura's neighbours, Madrid, Andalucía and Portugal.
But there are plenty of them: Last year alone, 426,000 visited this UNESCO heritage site.
Its progressive reopening is aimed at pulling in tourists to Extremadura – a region with much the same weather as the southern holiday hotspot of Andalucía but with far fewer visitors because of its not having a beach.
This said, the Roman ruins are among the many features that ensures the region gets tourists year-round, not just in summer, meaning its economy is far less seasonal than coastal areas.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com