Kerkouane

At the tip of Cap Bon, Kerkouane is the one Punic town that Rome never rebuilt. Its grid of streets, house walls, courtyards and private bathtubs still run down to the sea, giving a rare picture of daily life in the Carthaginian world.

History

Inhabited for nearly four centuries, the town was abandoned around the middle of the 3rd century BC, during the First Punic War, and never reoccupied. UNESCO listed it in 1985.

Customs

Small and windy: a hat and water are enough. A museum at the entrance shows finds from the necropolis.

Food

Have grilled fish in Kélibia, 12 km south.

Best time

Spring and autumn. In summer, combine it with a swim at Kélibia.

Heaps of murex shells were found on the site: the town made the purple dye that Phoenicians were famous for.