The Archaeological Complex of TarracoThe Plaça del Rei, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, is one of the most important testimonies to the Roman presence on the Iberian Peninsula and in the western Mediterranean. It is an invaluable heritage, and the institutions that preserve it have experienced some turbulent years. The National Archaeological Museum of Tarragona (MNAT) closed the Plaça del Rei space in 2018, and eight years later, the plan is to reopen it at the end of 2026 with a new museography after an investment of more than 9.2 million euros. Meanwhile, the NecropolisThe site, containing 2,051 tombs spanning from the 3rd to the mid-5th century, is also undergoing renovations, with an investment of 8.9 million euros. This open-air burial complex is the most important in the Mediterranean and was already closed for an extended period, from 1992 to 2012. It is expected to partially reopen in June. These are just some of the challenges facing Elena Juncosa, who in January took over from Mònica Borrell At the helm of the MNAT. Selected through a public competition, she was director of the Mas Miró Foundation (2015-2025), and will be responsible for managing not only the museum and the necropolis, but also all the dependent monuments and archaeological sites: the Tarraco theater, the Tower of the Scipios, the Mèdolc quarry, the old town, and the Arch of Berà.

Large cities, in addition to managing day-to-day affairs, always have major projects on the table that are difficult to get off the ground, whether due to budget constraints or the need to involve other levels of government, such as the Catalan or Spanish national governments. Tarragona is no exception. Over the last ten years, the mayors who have managed the city have had to think and rethink solutions for the old tobacco factory, the Savinosa neighborhood, the lack of funding for the maintenance of the Roman ruins, the city's urban growth, and the new train station. Some projects still need to be unblocked, but the reality is that, after ten years, the most important ones at least have a clear path forward.