On the road to Coimbra we took as side trip to the Roman ruins of the city of Conimbriga. Coimbra was actually named after this town. This huge Roman city dates to well over 2000 years old and remained an important crossroads until the 4th century AD. There were remains of many houses with beautiful tile floors, the largest being approximately 35,000 square feet. There were also a large central forum, many market areas. and numerous bath houses including a very large public one whch had separate areas for cool, tepid, and hot baths. The nicest and best preserved house was The Fountain House however. Attached to the site was an excellent museum with artifacts that explained the rise and fall of the Roman empire in Portugal.
all beautiful