The Roman ruins of San Roque

With one foot in the Atlantic Ocean and one in the Mediterranean Sea, San Roque is often overlooked in favour of its more illustrious neighbours. Situated on a hill some 109 metres above sea level in the Campo de Gibraltar and only a stone’s throw from Sotogrande, this historic town was founded by the Spanish Gibraltarians who refused to stay under British rule before leaving en masse more than 300 years ago. However, if you scratch below the surface you will find that even a little town as relatively new as this oozes history, since many different civilizations have influenced the area over the centuries.

One attraction that many may not be aware of is that San Roque offers free heritage tours to the Roman town of Carteia. A maze of ruins just outside the centre of San Roque, this ancient settlement’s history can be traced back to the 7^th century BC, when it was founded by Phoenician traders from the eastern Mediterranean. Over the following centuries Carteia also became home to their descendents, the Carthaginians, followed by the Romans, the Byzantines, the Visigoths and the Moors. In fact, the final chapter in Carteia’s history took place at the end of the 16^th century, when a watchtower for coastline surveillance was built by the Spaniards who had reconquered these territories.

The ruins themselves are spread over a large area and give a real insight into how a Roman city looked and operated. Carteia also became the first free Latin colony outside of Italy when it was granted that status in 171 BC, meaning its inhabitants were the first outside of Rome to be given citizenship. What will really fascinate history buffs is that only seven per cent of the ruins have currently been excavated, with many of the most interesting sites still to be unearthed. Scientific excavation started in the 1950s, since when teams of university archaeologists have come down each summer from Madrid to painstakingly dig out and explore more of this ancient town.

If you want to visit this little-known historical site just a few kilometres from Sotogrande and Gibraltar, and the charming little town of San Roque that is waiting to be explored then visit www.sanroque.es/tourism or email coordinador.turismo@sanroque.es