DAY 11 – ACROSS TUNISIA, FROM ROMAN CITIES TO DOUGGA

After two days with Star Wars almost everywhere around us, today we say goodbye to Tozeur and the deep south. No Mos Espa, no moisture farm and no landspeeder today. We turn the key, get the cars back into convoy and set off on one of the longest driving days of Tatooine Trails.

But this is exactly why we wanted to make this trip a road trip.

Today we cross a large part of Tunisia. From the dry landscapes around Tozeur, we travel further and further north, watching the scenery change along the way. The desert gradually gives way to steppe, mountains appear on the horizon and eventually the landscape becomes greener.

Our first destination is Sbeitla.

Sbeitla – a complete Roman city

In the heart of Tunisia lie the remains of the Roman city of Sufetula. Although Sbeitla may be less famous than El Djem or Dougga, this is certainly not just a quick stop along the way.

Sufetula was founded in the first century AD and developed into an important and prosperous Roman city. Much of that prosperity came from something we will see more and more of as we travel north today: olives and olive oil.

As soon as we enter the site, we understand why we want to take our time here. This isn't a single monument, but the remains of an entire city, with paved streets, baths, fountains, churches and an enormous forum.

At the far end stands its most remarkable feature. While a Roman Capitol would normally have one temple dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, Sbeitla has three separate temples standing side by side, creating one of the city's most distinctive sights.

Through the monumental Gate of Antoninus Pius, we enter the ancient forum. For a while, the modern world disappears and we're surrounded by little more than stone, silence and almost two thousand years of history.

Then it's time for the second long stretch of today's journey.

Heading north

We get back into our SUVs and continue towards Dougga.

This is one of those drives that shows just how many different faces Tunisia has. The dry plains slowly disappear, the landscape becomes hillier and greener, and more fields and olive groves begin to appear alongside the road.

By now, we are a long way from the Tatooine landscapes of the past few days, and that is exactly what makes today so interesting. Towards the end of the afternoon, we arrive at another place that takes us almost two thousand years back in time.

Dougga – a Roman city on a hill

Dougga, ancient Thugga, sits high above a fertile valley and is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in North Africa.

What makes Dougga special is that it still feels like a city rather than a collection of individual ruins. We walk along ancient streets, past houses, baths, temples and the forum. The enormous Capitol dominates the site, while a little further away the Roman theatre is built into the hillside.

From several points, we can look out for miles across the green landscape of northern Tunisia.

Almost two thousand years ago, people walked these same streets on their way to the theatre, traded goods, discussed matters in the forum and visited the public baths. After Sbeitla earlier today, it is fascinating to see how different these two Roman cities feel, despite being part of the same ancient world.

After all those kilometres and all that history, a very different ending to the day awaits us.

Dar Dougga – a quiet end to a long day

Tonight, we're not heading for a large hotel in one of Tunisia's busy tourist centres. Instead, we stay close to Dougga, surrounded by the quieter countryside of northern Tunisia.

Our destination for the night is Dar Dougga.

After a full day on the road, this is exactly what we need. We park the SUVs, leave the driving behind for the day and settle into the slower pace of rural Tunisia.

The evening is all about good food and good company. We sit down together for a traditional Tunisian meal, giving us plenty of time to talk about everything we've seen along the way.

This morning we were still in Tozeur, on the edge of the Sahara. Since then, we've crossed a large part of Tunisia, explored two cities from the Roman era and ended the day in the green countryside around Dougga. It's quite a contrast, and that's exactly what Tatooine Trails is about.

Of course, we travel to Tunisia because of Star Wars. We want to stand in the places where George Lucas once decided that this landscape could become part of a galaxy far, far away. But we also want to discover the country between those locations.

That means driving ourselves, watching the landscape gradually change, stopping at places we might otherwise have passed, exploring Roman cities, eating local food and occasionally spending the night somewhere well away from the usual tourist hotels.

Dar Dougga is our home for tonight.

Tomorrow morning we wake up in northern Tunisia, ready for the final day of Tatooine Trails.