The beautiful region of Catalonia is made up of four provinces: Barcelona, Tarragona, Lérida and Girona and its history goes back to ancient Roman times. Spanish is not the only idiom spoken here - the other official language is Catalan.
A highly developed region in all senses, its economic and cultural patrimony is evident everywhere with a wealth of walled cities, churches and monasteries, and all sorts of museums worth a visit. Sports-wise, there are magnificent ski tracks, ports in Costa Brava and in the Costa Dourada, and golf courses practically everywhere.
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An excursion along the Catalonia coast enables the traveller to discover, amongst other things, the rugged beauty of El Cabo de Creus and the local colour of Cadaqués, as well as the small town of Roses.
There is also the impressive Romanesque Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes and, above all, Empúries, which has the most important archaeological site in Spain. The coastline is beautiful, with small villages and woods running right down to the sea.
The coast is perfect for water sports. Several regattas are held every year in the region. The mountains are ideal for rambling and skiing. Those who enjoy hiking are recommended to take the path from Núria to Ull de Fer, (Girona) taking in the ascent of El Puigmal (2,913m).
This section of mountains almost reaches 3,000m, and there is an abundance of mountain huts and excellent places to camp. Barcelona also boasts the Formula 1 grand prix, which takes place every May at Montmeló.
Catalan cuisine is one of the most sophisticated in Spain. Its main dishes rely on four basic sauces: sofrito, samfaina, picada and ali-oli. Of these Samfaina is strictly Catalan and used with a wide variety of dishes. It is a half-cooked mixture of tomato, pepper and aubergine. Catalonia has a variety of rice as well as meat dishes, particularly poultry, and the famous Girona veal, not to mention rockfish.
The visitor will also find a rich collection of sausages, including butifarra, which is roasted or fried with mongetes - white beans. The wines in the area are magnificent. Worthy of note is El Priorato - very special thick and mild reds not easily found outside Catalonia. El porrón, or glass jug, is also very popular in Catalonia: the wine is poured from the glass jug with the spout held high. More common is the leather wineskin, which is equally appropriate for the liquid, but drinking from the porrón seems to give the wine a different taste.
