A morning in the Roman Ruins of Troy
On February 26th, the Day Off Suite&Hostel team went to Tróia to visit the Roman Ruins that exist here for a morning.
We took a tour of the Caldeira area, accompanied by Archaeologist Patrícia Brum, who explained with all clarity and enthusiasm the importance of these ruins in the past and present.
A bit of the history of the Ruins…
The Roman Ruins of Tróia are an archaeological site located on the left bank of the River Sado, on the northwest face of the Tróia peninsula, and have been classified as a National Monument since 1910.
In this place, during the Roman Empire there was a population dedicated to fishing, manufacture and export of canned fish active from the 1st to the 6th century. It is likely that the peninsula where the village was located was, at that time, an island, which some identify, without certainty, as the Island of Ácala.
The first excavation in the Tróia Peninsula was initiated in the 18th century, encouraged by D. Maria I, and in the 19th century, the Peninsula was the target of numerous excavations promoted by the Lusitanian Archaeological Society, the first archaeological society in the country, which was founded here in Setúbal, in 1849, with the main objective of excavating Tróia.
In the Roman Ruins of Tróia is the largest complex for the production of fish salting known in the Roman world, with 29 salting workshops found to date. One of the most commercialized products produced here was the famous Garum, which was a sauce made from viscera and other selected parts of various fish present in the Sado River, with several traces of the great use of sardines in these products having been found.
In the Ruins of Tróia we can also find a spa, a housing nucleus with houses, wells, necropolises with different types of tombs, a mausoleum, and the Paleochristian Basilica with frescoed walls, considered to be one of the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula and among those that are in a better state of conservation (temporarily closed).
How to go? (from Setubal)
Catamaran or Ferry
Schedules and Prices
MARCH TO OCTOBER
Open from Wednesday to Sunday
10:00 am – 1:00 pm | 2:30 pm – 6:00 pm (Entry up to 30 minutes before closing time)
Normal ticket: €6.00
Students, >65 years old, hikers, cyclists and groups: €5.00
Up to 12 years old: free
For guided tours or more information you can always visit the Ruins Site
Haven't visited the Roman Ruins of Troy yet? Why not include it in your next visit to Setúbal?! We can say that it will be an unforgettable experience. For us it was!