We were told that we were riding a private train to the top of the city of Sagunto. What I did not expect to see was a tram that looked like a train, such as the ones you might see at your local zoo, but with much less safety measures. We were sure that it would not take us all the way up the mountain and that sacrifices were necessary, but across the highway, high on the hill we visited the ruins of the Castillo de Sagunto, the Roman castle that has been watching over the valley for over 2000 years. Its grandness and fierceness has been lost over the years, but it stands resilient for people miles away to see. Despite the long history and many different owners of the castle, bits and pieces of each of the eras can be found on the grounds.
Below the walls and down the winding road is the Roman theatre, where tragedies, comedies, and election campaigns were once held. The steep seats, circular architecture, and generally old-looking stone walls make it immediately identifiable when you walk by. Coming into the theatre is like a trip into the past, with the seats climbing up to the open roof and one column remaining on the stage. Since most of the theatre has disappeared, much of the seats and the stage are a reconstruction of what it must have looked like all those years ago. Only the tunnel systems to the backstage and the higher seats remain intact. The white marble seats make you feel as if you are about to slip at any time. The stage is off limits, but the experience is worth it.
With the blessing of the city, the theatre still hosts plays, concerts, and other events within its walls. During the week of October 9, the theatre holds re-enactments of the Roman times to celebrate the national holiday of the autonomous community of Valéncia. Unfortunately, I have not received the opportunity to watch a production there, if watching my composition teacher do the choreography to Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” doesn’t count.
If you ever decide to visit Spain or do the ACA program in Sagunto, I would highly recommend going to the castle and the theatre. “It’s awe inspiring to walk the same paths that people who lived before Christ walked the earth, those He even fought and died for,” says Thomas Abdalla of Southwestern Adventist University. The city awaits for you, the castle awaits for you, the theatre awaits for you.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 老司机传媒. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 老司机传媒 or the Seventh-day Adventist church.