During our stay in Fes, we were offered an optional day trip.
We settled onto a small bus for a two hour trip away from all of the hustle and bustle
and out into a Moroccan valley to visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis.
The ruins date back two thousand years and have been partially excavated and restored.
This was once a prosperous Roman city that centered around olives and the production of olive oil.
It was abandoned in the 11th Century and excavated by the French in the late 1800's.
Damaged by earthquakes and looted for limestone, some of the ruins have been restored.
Here you will see some of the most impressive examples of intact Roman mosaics.
We had a very friendly English speaking guide that led us around the ruins.
It was such a beautiful day and it felt good to be out in the fresh air after the intensity of Fes.
It's not a Roman ruin without some phallic carving to declare this space a brothel.
We had gorgeous views of the surrounding fertile countryside and I could easily imagine myself in Italy.
We spent a few hours exploring and taking photos, watching the views change as the sun went down.
We stopped for a coffee at the ramshackle cafe on site before heading back to Fes.
My notes for that day say that were were too exhausted to even have dinner that night.
We just finished off some junk food from our bags and went to bed early.
I think all of that sunshine and open space was just what we needed midway through our tour of Morocco.
Where are your favorite Roman ruins?
