Located in Badajoz province, as a city Extremadura's compact capital (pop. 60,000) can boast roots stretching back some 2,000 years - much of which can be readily discovered along its streets and in its nooks and crannies. Founded in 25 AD as the Roman colony Augusta Emerita, the legacy of ancient Rome lives dramatically on in the ruins of Mérida's amphitheatre, Circus Maximus, Roman Bridge, Aqueduct of Miracles, the Roman Theatre (top), and the Villa Miltreo - all very good reasons the city's historic core has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The theatre in particular has become something of a municipal symbol, and is the site every July and most of August of the Festival Internacional de Teatro Clásico, where the works of ancient authors such as Sophocles and Aristophanes come to life, along with classically-themed works of later vintage.

Beyond the ancient Roman, the historic centre within the old city walls - a warren of winding, often narrow, cobblestone streets - is am architectural open-air museum particularly of the medieval (Cathedral of Santa María Mayor, Our Lady of La Antigua) and Renaissance (city hall, Church of Santa Clara, Church of Our Lady of Carmen). The Plaza de España is also a must, ringed by traditional and ancient palazzos.

Read more in our post Spain´s Wonderful (and Sometimes Wild) West: Extremadura.

Mariaplr