Roads, tracks and trails – Via Augusta Penedès

In 2017, the Consorci de Promoció Turística del Penedès created an itinerary inspired by the route of the Roman Via Augusta through the Penedès region. The initiative included the adaptation of some sections and the placement of eight panels in the shape of Roman milestones at train stations in the area. In addition, 22 information panels and plaques indicating the route were set up. The aim was to create a route that would take advantage of the long history, which even predates Romanisation, to discover the landscape and culture of these regions, on foot or by bicycle.

You may well wonder whether the route, located south of Barcelona, follows the original Roman road faithfully. Documents from the time of Emperor Antony (138 to 161 AD), promoter of the road from Rome to Gades, today's Cadiz, show that it passed through Tarragona, El Vendrell, Vilafranca del Penedès and Martorell. It’s therefore beyond doubt that the route of the most important Roman road in Roman Hispania, the Via Augusta, crossed the Penedès.

Although the exact route is not known, the presence of monuments such as the Arch of Barà, dedicated to Emperor Augustus, on the same axis as the national road 340, leads us to believe that the Via Augusta more or less followed the route of this road, at least in the section that goes from Vilafranca del Penedès to Tarragona. Further north, on the stretch from Martorell to Vilafranca, it’s very likely that the route of the Via Augusta followed the AP-7 motorway. We can therefore state categorically that this Collection follows, in an approximate manner, the original route of the Roman Via Augusta through the Penedès.

This Collection presents the official route available at viaaugustapenedes.cat with some minor modifications but respecting its seven-stage format. When planning the route, bear in mind that all the stages start and end at a train station on the R4 commuter train line. This allows a lot of flexibility when, for example, looking for places to stay, as some of the stages begin and end in towns with little accommodation on offer. The train allows you to reach Vilafranca del Penedès or Sant Sadurní d'Anoia at the end of the day and thus have a wider range of services available.

The Tours in this Collection are not overly challenging, as they run along paths, ravines and trails. The gradient is moderate and, in addition, the Penedès is an area with abundant population centres where there are plenty of fountains and places to rest. You can consult the different services available, as well as the different accommodation options along the route on the Penedès tourism website: penedesturisme.cat/es