Spain - From The Costa Brava To The Pyrenees (30/151)

Spain - From The Costa Brava To The Pyrenees (30/151)

The jagged and formerly inhospitable rocky landscape, named at the end of 19th century by the Catalan writer Ferràn Agulló the "Costa Brava", the wild coast, has long since been tamed by tourism, yet the old city centres and villages and the nearby hinterland still boast original architecture and unspoiled landscapes. "Mar y Muntanya" is the motto of the itinerary that takes us from the Costa Brava to the Pyrenees. "Sea and mountains" is also the name of the national dish of this region, the distinctive combination of seafood and meat dishes. In fact, the "wild coast" has long since become a land of culture: Roman cities and Greek colonies, Iberian settlements and many cloisters can be found here and, not least, the beautiful provincial capital of Girona with the old Call, the best-preserved Jewish district in Spain. For years the coast has also lured artists and art fans: the painter Josep Niebla captures the waves in their original size on canvas; in Castle Perelada the collector and friend of Dali, Miguel Mateu Pla, has compiled valuable editions of Don Quichote. In the hinterland original Catalonian culture has been preserved: for example, in the Arte Cristiana, a manufactory for statues of saints, or in the return of the horses from the mountain pastures that takes place every year in autumn.