About the Study Tour
Overview
Much of today’s “modern” engineering and infrastructure have their roots in the engineering innovations of the Roman Empire. Please join Roman Engineering Professor, Dr. Bill Hunt, for a study tour of Roman infrastructure marvels in Spain.
This 5-day program begins in Madrid and ends in Seville. Our private bus tour will stop in Segovia, Alcantara, Caceres, and Merida, before arriving in Sevilla. Along the way, we will visit Roman aqueducts, bridges, cisterns, reservoirs, theaters, amphitheaters, towns and temples.
Dr. Hunt is an enthusiast of “awesome engineering achievements” and can’t wait to share his love and knowledge of Roman engineering with you.
If you are interested in joining us on this journey, please don't delay! We anticipate this workshop will fill up quickly.
Who Should Attend
- Engineers
- Architects
- Landscape Architects
- Designers
- Planners
- Public Works Employees
- History Buffs
- Antiquities Enthusiasts
Tentative Agenda
Sunday,
October 18, 2026
Optional Welcome Social in Madrid
Welcome to beautiful Spain!
We will meet at a local establishment in downtown Madrid to socialize and get to know one another! We will then disperse for dinner on your own.
Monday,
October 19, 2026
Segovia
Board our tour bus in Madrid & we’re off! Hike to the source of one of the best preserved Aqueducts on Earth & then walk along the Segovia Aqueduct, visiting Roman settling basins. After lunch (provided), participants will have a chance to tour Segovia, one of the most famous tourist destinations in Spain because of it’s castle (Alcazar) and Cathedral. As evening draws near, we will bus to our hotel in Segovia where we will spend night #1.
Tuesday,
October 20, 2026
Caparra, Alcantara, & Caceres
We will depart in the morning for our visit to Alcantara, regarded by many as the finest example of a Roman bridge on earth. This 1900+ year old bridge still carries truck traffic! After walking the bridge, we’ll have lunch in the town of Alcantara. Time permitting, we may also visit the ruins of a Roman town in the heart of Extremadura: Caparra, where we focus on Roman town design. Then we head to Caceres, one of the most atmospheric towns in Spain to check into the hotel, before setting off to see the most beautiful example of cistern (Aljibe) in all of Spain. Night #2 will be spent in Caceres.
Wednesday,
October 21, 2026
Merida
After a morning walk through the medieval streets of Caceres (where some of the Game of Thrones was filmed), it’s back on the bus for the short trip to Merida, former Roman capital of Lusitania. En route to the city, we stop at the Roman reservoir at Proserpina, which was Merida’s water supply. We then visit the Milagros Aqueduct (which conveyed the Proserpina water into town) before touring the Spanish National Roman Museum. Lunch is afterwards and on your own. That evening we stroll the longest Roman bridge on earth and visit Merida’s Alcazar. Night #3 is in Merida.
Thursday,
October 22, 2026
Merida & Sevilla (Seville)
After checking out of the hotel, we take a guided tour of Merida’s Roman highlights: the theatre and amphitheatre. We then visit the remnants of the Circus (horse race track) before busing down to Sevilla, the New York City of the 1500’s. You have the afternoon to explore Sevilla before we reconvene at one of Sevilla’s famed flamenco performances. Night #4 will be in Sevilla. (Final night of included Hotels)
Friday,
October 23, 2026
Sevilla & Italica
The tour’s last day features a visit to Italica, the city where famous emperors Hadrian (of Wall fame) and Trajan (see: Alcantara bridge) were born. The ruins of Italica were featured in Game of Thrones as well. Many beautiful mosaics have been unearthed and are still present. By lunch time our visit will end, and after we return to Sevilla, so does the tour.
For people interested in returning to Madrid, the AVE train has very fast connections to the capital city. But it is our hope that tour participants stay in Sevilla a little extra to soak in one of Spain’s finest cities.
What You Need to Know
Mobility and Stamina
The tour is not recommended for individuals who utilize a wheelchair or have mobility issues. We expect the tour to include steep inclines, uneven cobblestone streets and sidewalks, and several stairs. Additionally, attendees will be expected to walk and stand for several hours each day and should anticipate hitting at least 12,000 steps each day.
Pre-Departure Information Session for Registrants
Prior to departure, we plan to host several Zoom information sessions to assist registrants with travel information and coordination, including recommendations on additional destinations to visit before and after the official tour dates. Dates for information sessions are to be announced in March of 2026.
Please let us know if you have any questions in the meantime by emailing bae_training@ncsu.edu.
Registration Information
Single Occupancy Registration - $1,895 per person
Double Occupancy Registration - $1,595 per person
PLEASE NOTE: When you register, your registration will be in Pending Mode.
Once the tour reaches the minimum attendee target, you will receive a Registration CONFIRMATION email with additional details about the tour and information on how to pay for your registration. We expect this to be before the registration deadline. If in the unlikely event we do not meet minimum registration targets, we will alert you shortly after the registration deadline.
Registration Fee Includes:
- Entrance fees
- All guided tours
- First Day Lunch (in lieu of welcome dinner)
- Flamenco Performance (in lieu of a group luncheon)
- Study tour related transportation in Spain (private coach)
- 4 nights of hotel accommodation in various cities in Spain.
Not Included in the Cost of Registration:
- Airfare
- Hotel Accommodations outside of the 4 nights of provided lodging starting October 19th (Monday night check-in) through October 22th (Friday morning check-out).
- Meals (except lunch on Monday, October 19th)
Payment Information & Cancellation/Refund Policies
We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and checks for payment of registration fees. Checks should be made payable to NCSU–BAE and mailed to the address below including a copy of the invoice generated in the registration confirmation email.
NCSU-BAE
Campus Box 7625
Raleigh, NC 27695
Attn: Workshop Coordinators
Cancellation requests should be sent to bae_training@ncsu.edu for processing. The cancellation request must be submitted by midnight March 14, 2025 to receive a full refund.
Cancellation requests made between March 14 and June 13, 2025 will receive a 50% refund. Any cancellation requests made on or after June 14th may be ineligible for a refund.
Attendee substitutions may be made at any time at no cost. Please send an email to bae_training@ncsu.edu with the name of the current registrant and the name and email address of the new registrant.
Professional Development Hours
The following professional development hours (PDHs) are awarded after successful completion of the tour and a certificate of attendance will be emailed afterward listing these PDHs.
- Approximately 20 PDHs for North Carolina professional engineers and land surveyors (approved by the NC Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors)
Other professionals may appeal to their respective boards to obtain professional education credits.
Study Tour Instructor
