The Roman colony was founded between the years 10 and 15 BCE, in the times of Emperor Augustus. The city, occupying only 10 hectares, had four entrance gates set at the ends of the two main streets, which crossed right in the centre. Here is where the Forum stood, on the small hill of Mons Taber, just above today’s Plaza de Sant Jaume.

From the square, to the right of the Generalitat building, a small street leads off called Callejuela Paradís. At number 10 of this street there are four columns supporting an architrave, from a first century BCE temple. To the left of the Generalitat building, the Calle del Bisbe leads off towards the cathedral, where there are the remains of two of the city’s entrance gates. Two towers are visible plus fragments of the second wall, built in the fourth century CE, as well as vestiges of the aqueducts that brought water to the city. In the fifteenth century the Casa de l’Ardiaca was built over the ruins; inside this building visitors can now see a fragment of the wall and two arcades of the aqueducts.

We now have to backtrack to the Plaza de Sant Jaume and turn off down Calle Ciutat to reach the medieval building Pati Llimona where there are remains of the first walled enclosure (first century BCE.). The pedestrian side passage through another one of the entrance gates is also still standing.

Behind Pati Llimona, across a small passage from Calle del Correu Vell, there is an open space with remains of the wall and two of the square towers of the second wall, built in the fourth century CE.

In the lovely Plaza del Rei stands the Museu d’Història de la Ciutat, a fascinating museum complex that whisks us back to what was the potters’ district. A few metres away are remains of the constructions that made up the Episcopal see (fourth and third centuries). If we enter the lift and drop down to the year 12 BCE., right back to the original settlement of Barcino, we embark upon an amazing trip through the Roman city excavated in an area of 4000 m2, where we can clearly make out streets, houses with mosaics and remains of a defensive tower.

In Plaza de Ramon Berenguer there is another chunk of the second wall and the square defence towers. The necropolis lies in the Plaza de la Villa de Madrid, where there are a few tombs from between the first and third centuries BCE.