13. El Pulvinar
Restaurant with archaeological remains from the gallery of the Circus and the vaults that supported its structure.
The restaurant, like many other buildings in the area, was built inside the old Roman Circus enclosure, but there is something that clearly differentiates it from the rest of the places that occupy this ancient space: its location within the enclosure. Unlike other establishments located within the vaults of the Circus, El Pulvinar is located on the cusp of the stands, just above the remains of the tribune, the place reserved for the high elite of the city and Roman province to watch the spectacles.
Just behind El Pulvinar began the Via Triumphalis, which traced a straight path between the stands and the Temple of Augustus. This ancient via roughly corresponds to the current Carrer Major (Main Street). Today El Pulvinar is a restaurant and pizzeria that has become a Tarragona classic. Inside its rooms we can enjoy, amid ancient archaeological remains, a style of Italian cuisine that, like the Romans of two thousand years ago, has also made its home in Tarragona.
The restaurant is accessed through Carrer dels Ferrers, 30. Menu available at the website.
In the restaurant El Pulvinar some of the archaeological remains of the old circus stands are perfectly preserved. In the dining room we can see one of the closing walls of the Tarraco Circus, made with the technique of opus quadratum, and a section of Roman flooring. Also noteworthy are the large barrel vaults that held the top of the pulvinar of the Circus. These vaults are preserved in good condition within the restaurant, which has even adapted one as a dining room. The vaults do not have the same width or arrangement as the rest of the circus vaults, making them unique, which is explained by the specific function of the pulvinar: the elevation of the elites through majestic architecture and a privileged location.
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Restaurant with archaeological remains from the gallery of the Circus and the vaults that supported its structure.41.1171821 1.256295