Labitolosa: the Roman city that emerged from silence

At the top of Cerro Calvario , in the municipality of La Puebla de Castro , stand the remains of Labitolosa , a Roman city that was active between the 1st century BC and the end of the 2nd century AD. Located in a strategic enclave, with a visual command over the valley of the Ésera river, this archaeological site of Labitolosa constitutes one of the most important Roman sites in Ribagorza and a privileged window to learn about Roman municipal life in the Pyrenees.

For centuries, its existence was almost a mystery. Only a Latin inscription, found in the 16th century and later included in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum , mentioned the cives Labitolosani —the citizens of Labitolosa. It wasn't until 1991 that a joint team of archaeologists from the universities of Zaragoza and Bordeaux began systematic excavation campaigns that brought this jewel of the past to light.

The main remains discovered to date allow us to reconstruct the history of Labitolosa as a Roman urban center with considerable accuracy. Three monumental complexes stand out in particular:

• The Curia , or Curia Ordinis , the building where the decurions, or city notables, met, is in an excellent state of preservation. Inside, inscriptions have been found in their original locations, along with several sculpture pedestals, allowing us to imagine the splendor it possessed in its time.

• Two thermal bath complexes , dating from the second half of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century AD, respectively. They still retain a good part of the underground heating system ( hypocaust ), making them the most complex and best-preserved vestige of Roman baths in the Pyrenees.

• A domus or Roman house that reflects the architectural standards of the wealthy class of the time.

Currently, both the baths and the curia are protected and open to the public, while excavation work continues in other areas of the site. Visiting Labitolosa in Ribagorza is to immerse oneself in the daily life of a provincial Roman city, in a privileged natural setting.

How to get to

From La Puebla de Castro, access is via a marked trail that gently ascends to Cerro Calvario.
Free and open access | Information panels along the route.