Rafael Moneo's museum in Mérida is a building that makes Roman engineering look contemporary. Opened in 1986, it is built of thin Roman-style bricks in a set of tall arches that echo the arcades of the aqueducts, and as you walk inside the great central nave you feel as though you have wandered into an imaginary basilica. The architect won the Pritzker Prize in 1996, and this building is among the works that made his name. It stands on the site of Roman Emerita Augusta, and below it lie the remains of streets and houses, which you can visit on a lower level.
The collection is one of the finest of Roman art in Spain, and the pieces come from the excavations in the town and surrounding area. There are mosaics, some of them huge, with scenes of hunting, mythology and the seasons, sculptures of emperors and gods, and everyday objects such as glass, pottery and coins. A good way to see the museum is to climb to the upper gallery, where you can look down on a wall of mosaics laid out on the floor, and then walk along a bridge above them. The effect is of looking down on a Roman city from above.
The museum stands beside the theatre and amphitheatre, so you can combine the two in a single visit. Parking can be tight in the middle of the day, so it is best to leave the bike in a nearby street early in the morning or near the river. The surrounding streets are mostly pedestrian, and walking is easy. Mérida's traffic is mild by Spanish standards, and drivers are tolerant of motorcycles.
Fuel is easy to find in the town, and the supermarkets of Calamonte are only a short ride away. The summer heat is heavy, so the cool of the museum is a welcome relief, and a good place to be at midday. In the late afternoon, the light on the brick is warm and golden, and the squares nearby fill with people. A glass of wine from the nearby vineyards and a plate of cheese at an outdoor table is a quiet way to end the day.