Tunisia has a wealth of Roman archaeological treasures and the National Tourist Board is trying to attract a more discerning visitor to a country that is still in transition since the Arab Spring uprising three years ago.

Guided by a tourist board representative I’m visiting the sites which have so far been excavated. They represent only 17 percent of the total still waiting to be discovered but there is little money to invest here.

The economic disparity of the country is evident in the ramshackle development sprawling out of Tunis. Half-completed buildings line poorly maintained roads in complete contrast to the steel glass and concrete edifices to global financial corporations which overwhelm as you taxi in from the airport.

The capital Tunis is strewn with razor wire and most of the main squares are cordoned off to prevent public gatherings. You can sense an atmosphere of tension with national elections due later this year.

Our five-star accommodation is at the Regency Tunis just outside the capital. It’s an imposing building with heavy security and two sets of radio controlled gates and is a perfect example of ostentatious grandeur.

The reception area is enormous and could have been modelled on the atrium at the British Museum. The hotel is huge and, despite staying three nights, I still have difficulty finding my room. It is populated mainly by besuited businessmen. Two outdoor swimming pools and access to a private beach provide sumptuous luxury but we are out of season and the pools are dry and the beach strewn with plastic bottles and glass.

Evening dining is in the Tunisian-themed buffet restaurant where steaming pans of cous cous and rice and all manner of wonderful mouth-watering meat dishes are laid out every night. Alcohol is available in the restaurant and bar and the Tunisian produce a lovely red called Magon which we readily order for each meal. The bar prices, however, are prohibitively expensive at 6 dinar for a half of lager – £3 in our money.

The purpose of the visit is to view the Roman, Phoenician, Carthagian and Punic remains. My knowledge of this period of history is non-existent but my colleagues on this trip are archaeological enthusiasts.

Our first stop is Utica which was the most important of Phoenician cities in North Africa. At first it looks like a pile of old stones and eroded columns but then we meet one of the weather-beaten security guys who pulls up a rotten wooden cover to reveal, once he’s swept away the mud and leaves, amazing Roman mosaics depicting a marine life tableau.

It’s clear that this is a major archaeological site which stretches for miles, but as yet only a fraction of it has been dug. The museum down the road houses a few Romanic artefacts rescued from the excavations and sells some desultory postcards.

We visit Bizerte after a fabulous lunch where the pre-entrees were truly remarkable. It’s a pretty little port if you stay away from the litter-strewn side streets. Its noisy and smelly market has every type of fish on offer and in the meat section the vendors seem proud to display severed cows’ heads.

After Bizerte we had a long drive to Carthage, the most renowned Roman site in Tunisia. It’s enormous and faces the open sea. Unfortunately we were only given half-an-hour to visit the main site of the temple and had to miss out on the amphitheatre and the museum.

A visit to the Bardo Museum is a must for Romanophiles as it is full of Roman mosaics. During the trip I met Judy Willcocks, the former director of Dorchester County Museum, which has a collection of Roman mosaics.

Judy was on just the archaeological holiday Tunisia is promoting. She was here with her husband and they were also staying in our hotel. She said: “I remember thinking it was a privilege to be allowed to walk on them but those mosaics in the Bardo Museum they really took my breath away! Just staggering. A real benchmark of how civilised and accomplished the Roman Empire was.”

Our group visited Sidi Bou Said on a Sunday afternoon. It was packed with Tunisian families out for a stroll and a glass of the speciality mint tea with pine nuts. Sidi is famous for its blue and white décor and the houses have some amazing doors but beware of the traders.

They are persistent and difficult to escape if you venture into their shop.

The focus of our visit was the beautiful Ennejma Ezzahra Palace and its wonderful gardens with a fantastic view of the Gulf of Tunis. Built by Baron Rudolph d’Erlanger (1872-1932) over a period of ten years its interior is adorned with marble, carved stucco, carved and painted wood. The Baron was a scholar of Arabic music and the palace houses a fascinating collection of Tunisian instruments.

Zarghoun was the final stop on our tour to visit the ‘Water Temple’ and legendary spring. On the way we followed the astonishing Roman aqueduct which was constructed for over 78 miles to transport fresh water from the mountains to the settlements on the coast.

The town itself would be completely off the tourist map as it doesn’t even have a hotel.

But it is fascinating as there are loads of little shops which sell anything from rusty irons to providing a service writing letters for people.

We had lunch at the lovely renovated theme farm Dar Zarghouan just outside the town.

It is a large family-run project which is virtually self-sufficient and accommodation is available. It bakes its own bread in outdoor ovens, grows its own produce and has a little zoo.

There are also little al fresco bars providing teas for a relaxing drink whilst admiring the water features surrounded by the pretty landscaped gardens.

Tunisia has many archaeological treasures to discover and with some investment it could one day become one of the major historical tourist destinations in North Africa.

Getaway

Tunisair operates five flights per week from London Heathrow to Tunis, prices start from £123, including taxes. For reservations call 020 7734 7644 or visit tunisair.com.

Rooms at the five star Regency Tunis Hotel in Carthage start from £107 per night, based on two people sharing a double room on a bed and breakfast basis. For more information or to book, visit regencytunis.com

For all your travel needs and for information on what’s happening in Tunisia, visit cometotunisia.co.uk