Do you want to be a gladiator in the arena of Tarraco?

TarragonaWould you like to become a novicus, an apprentice gladiator in the amphitheater of Tarraco 2,000 years ago, for a few minutes? You will do so guided by Marcus Valerius Mesala, editor muneris of Tarraco, who will explain the secrets of this space, you will be able to witness a gladiator fight and experience a fight against exotic animals from the arena itself.

This is the proposal of the world's first mixed reality experience in a Roman amphitheater, which since July 1st can be experienced at the Tarragona amphitheater thanks to WeRiseUp, the joint venture of PortAventura World and Vekoma, and the Tarragona City Council. Under the name El Clam de Tàrraco, this experience seeks to virtually reconstruct the legacy and history of the Tarragona amphitheater. Using latest-generation mixed reality glasses with free movement, visitors travel 2,000 years back in time to discover the ancient capital of Hispania Citerior on a day of great games.

"El Clam de Tàrraco represents a new way of bringing heritage closer to people by putting them at the center and providing them with a precise and interactive context. Thanks to the combination of technology and history, the Tarragona amphitheater becomes the starting point for a new category of immersive cultural experiences that dialogue between past and future," explains Andreu Tobella, CEO of WeRiseUp.

This project incorporates a new way of interpreting historical heritage through an experience designed to complement the visit to the amphitheater, preserving its unique archaeological value in the world at all times. Thanks to PortAventura World's expertise in mixed reality, as the first theme park to adopt this technology, and the collaboration of Spatial Voyagers, this new immersion allows digital content to be visualized superimposed on the real environment without replacing it, so that the visitor maintains the perception of the original monument at all times. 

Temporary and reversible equipment

During the development, no permanent physical intervention has been required on the amphitheater. All operational equipment is temporary and reversible, designed according to minimum intrusion criteria to guarantee the integral protection of a site declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Furthermore, the participation of specialists and historians linked to Tarragona's heritage seeks to ensure maximum historical rigor in the reconstruction of the spaces and events represented, in order to offer a faithful image of the amphitheater in its original state.

The mayor of Tarragona, Rubén Viñuales, highlights that "Tarragona has in its Roman heritage one of its great cultural and identity assets, as well as for future projection. Incorporating mixed reality into the amphitheater visit allows us to explain our history with new languages, reach new audiences, and make the visitor experience the monument in a much closer, more understandable, and exciting way."

The initiative thus reinforces Tarragona's positioning as a unique cultural and tourist destination throughout the Mediterranean, incorporating a pioneering proposal capable of attracting new visitor profiles and complementing the existing heritage offer in the territory.

The combination of historical reconstruction, spatial audio, and synchronized narrative elements turns the visit into an experience for audiences of all ages and types, from tourists and families to school and university groups. The tour is now available at a price of 7 euros, in addition to the amphitheater entrance, and has a duration of approximately 12 minutes per visitor. This experience can be enjoyed in five different languages: Catalan, Spanish, English, French, and Italian.

Positive visitor ratings

The assessment in these first few days of this new tourist product is very positive. “Visitors who have enjoyed El Clam de Tàrraco have rated the experience with a 9.5 out of 10, a figure that confirms that the commitment to mixed reality as a way to bring heritage closer to people works and excites,” states Andreu Tobella, CEO of WeRiseUp, who adds: “Beyond the data, what particularly satisfies us is seeing how very diverse audiences leave the Tarragona amphitheater with a deeper and more emotional understanding of what this space represented 1,800 years ago. It is the confirmation that technology, when placed at the service of history with rigor, does not replace the monument, but enriches it”.

“While other experiences seek to recreate a context, ours seeks for the monument itself, experienced in person, to tell its story. At El Clam de Tàrraco, we have opted for mixed reality, as the visitor never loses sight of the real physical environment of the amphitheater, over which digital elements are superimposed, perfectly aligned with the existing architecture,” points out Tobella, who adds: “It is not a recreation outside of the monument, but an experience that dialogues with it. Thanks to the latest generation glasses and free movement, the visitor walks through the arena while reliving, as a novice, a day of games from 1,800 years ago. Furthermore, the entire installation is temporary and completely reversible, without any permanent intervention on a space declared a World Heritage Site, which allows us to respect conservation criteria to the fullest”.