For centuries traffic on the main coastal road of Catalonia drove straight through a Roman triumphal arch. The Arc de Berà stands on the line of the Via Augusta, the great Roman road from the Pyrenees to Cádiz, about twenty kilometres northeast of Tarragona, and until the road was diverted around it in the late twentieth century, cars and trucks passed under its single span. It was built at the end of the first century BC, and an inscription records that it was erected according to the will of Lucius Licinius Sura, a figure whose identity historians still discuss. It is part of the UNESCO listing for the Roman remains of Tarraco.
The arch is a simple, elegant structure of local stone, with fluted pilasters and a cornice, and it stands alone in a small park beside the N-340, with pine trees and the noise of traffic around it. It probably marked a boundary between the territories of two towns, and travellers on the Via Augusta would have passed through it on their way to and from Tarraco. Today it is a popular stop for photographs, and a short walk takes you along a preserved section of the Roman road nearby.
The N-340 is the old main road along this coast, and it is usually busy with local traffic, trucks avoiding the parallel toll motorway, and summer tourists, so riding here is more about getting somewhere than enjoying the curves. The coast itself is lined with resorts, campsites and holiday homes, especially around Roda de Barà, Creixell and Coma-ruga. Head inland, however, and you soon find quiet roads through vineyards and olive groves, leading toward the Penedès wine region and the hills of the Baix Gaià.
Roda de Barà and Torredembarra have fuel, supermarkets and plenty of beach restaurants serving paella, grilled fish and seafood. Coma-ruga is known for its long sandy beach and its spa, and Torredembarra has an old town with a castle and a lighthouse. If you want to combine the arch with other Roman sites, the Tarraco remains, the Centcelles mausoleum and the Pont del Diable aqueduct are all within a short ride. In summer, avoid the coast road on weekend afternoons, when traffic can be heavy.