Vigo. Archaeological centre of the Roman villa of Toralla . Mirambell estate.

About this heritage

Toralla island is a small island located on the south coast of the Vigo estuary, about 400 metres from the Vao beach. It is urbanized with a surface area of 10.6 hectares and it is connected to Vigo´s coast by a 400 meter long bridge for public use. As a curiosity it is a private island, it has free access only to two beaches, that are located at the right and left end of the bridge, in Coruxo district.

The Roman Villa of Toralla is located at the beginning of the bridge on its left side. It is still called “Finca Mirambell” (Mirambell estate) because the land where the first remains of this archaeological site were found in Vigo was owned by the Mirambell family. They were found in the 1920s, when the family carried out a series of work for conditioning the plot.

The most particular characteristic of this site is that it is the only Roman villa in Galicia that is completely excavated and can be visited. The site dates back to the 4th and 5th centuries A.C. When visiting this town there are two types of route, one between the remains of the town and another outside-route visually accompanied by information panels. The various rooms of the house, the salt flats and the thermal system are appreciated, which indicates that the people who lived there had a high social status.

To learn more

Toralla island was initially owned by Tui´s Bishopric. With the disentailment Francisco Javier Martínez Enríquez, Marquis of Valladares, acquired it, and in 1895 Enrique Lameiro Sarachaga acquired it from a niece of the Marquis of Valladares.

In 1910 it was bought by Martín de Echegaray, who came back rich from Argentina. In 1965 his heirs sold it to the couple José Manuel Kowalski Fernández and Mercedes Peyrona Díez de Güemes. Finally in 1965, Kowalski and brothers Guillermo and Ramiro Vázquez Lorenzo created Toralla S.A., which built the bridge and developed it. On the one hand, the Toralla tower was born with 136 flats, and on the other hand, 34 single-family plots were created. In the island there are 170 homes with an estimated population of 800 inhabitants.

The archaeological centre of the Roman villa of Toralla is an open air archaeological excavation of a Roman villa converted into an exhibition museum that can be visited next to the Vao beach. It is located within the Mirambell estate, surrounded by a grove of acacia trees.

The complex consists of a residential villa, with thermal baths (consisting of a cold and hot water rooms) and another one that was used for salting. Its location was perfect for this type of industry, since it is located next to the coast, between two sandbanks and at the mouth of a small freshwater river.

The main entrance is located in the centre of the façade, from which there is access to a hall; from here you can visit a dining room, kitchen, bedrooms, store-room, and the thermal complex.

There are two types of routes: a visual one that can be done from the outside accompanied by information panels, and an interior one. There is also the option of guided tours that can be arranged in advance to learn first-hand about this town´s history.

To know it better

Vigo city in Pontevedra, has Toralla island, of ten hectares and located in front of Vao beach. During the 60s, a building was constructed on this private island that destroyed the island´s natural environment. Vigo City Council has initiated the procedures to recover the public use of this place. Its beach is the only one the faces south of all those in Vigo, and to get there you have to walk over a bridge or also by sea.

In addition, settlements from the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. have appeared in this area. The only remains of the Castro (Old Galician fortress) can be seen in the Vigo Archaeological Museum.

On the other hand, the Roman Villa of Toralla stands out, dating from the 4th century and known as “Mirambell State”, as the land belonged to this family. The land included the family house, the servants and buildings dedicated to marine exploitation, in this case salt-mines.

Vigo, in Pontevedra´s province, is the most populated city of Galicia. It stands out for its coast, its fishing activity and its industry.