If we talk about an entity that knows about geography, world cultures and historical heritageThe most prestigious, probably, is National Geographic. So it is not surprising that we are so interested in knowing what you think about which are the most beautiful towns in Spain. Especially when within our borders we have such a vast variety to choose from. Well, said and done, because they have ruled on this matter.
Made under the editorial criteria of the different members of National Geographic Travel, They have selected what they consider to be the most representative localities of the rural beauty of our country, from mountain towns to coastal gems. Although it is in the latter where we will stop today.
More specifically in which, according to this ranking, it is the most beautiful coastal town in all of Catalonia and the winner was what many believe is also the most beautiful in all of Spain: Cadaqués, a town on the Costa Brava that is already one of the most emblematic on the Girona coast. Not only for its spectacular beaches, the richness of its gastronomy or the beauty of its nature. Also because its towns are beautiful and full of history…
This is precisely the case of Cadaqués, protected by the Sierra del Pení, which for years has conquered tourists and Spanish artists like Picasso; Bunuel or Salvador Dali, who have passed through this small town on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Public transport does not reach this white town and can only be accessed after crossing a road full of sharp curves between several mountains. Once there, the visitor is surprised by its pristine white houses with particular blue doors and windows, its small beach integrated into the town center and narrow streets (some of them covered with rastell, What are they stones extracted from the sea and placed in the shape of spikes on the ground).
Cadaqués was one of the most important ports on the Iberian Peninsula in the Middle Ages, so at the beginning of the 10th century a walled enclosure and a fortification began to be built around it to serve as protection against invasions and corsairs. In 1280 the so-called Castle of Cadaqués was finished, of which, at present, there is nothing left but the locationwhich corresponds to what is now the old town.
Some points of interest, which do remain standing, are the Church of Santa María, located in the highest part of the town and with a late Gothic floor plan and a Baroque altar; Es Call street, one of the most charming and beautiful, or Es Baluard and the watchtower that is now the town hall.
On the other hand, strolling through “Las ribas”, promenades built in 1910 next to the sea, allows us to contemplate the architecture of this area of modernist style, such as the Casa Serinyana, the most famous in Cadaqués. Although the Plaça del Passeig is a meeting place for this type of building and an obligatory stop. Similarly, the Salvador Dalí House-Museum is a must-see. Located in the bay of Portlligat, to the north of Cadaqués, it is where the artist built his house-workshop uniting seven fishermen’s cabins.
Photos | iStock
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