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Journalist, communicator, curious walker, in love with people and my little country
A guide to enjoying an almost bird’s-eye view of the province of Girona’s best landscapes.
In the Empordà region they know that the power of the wind is unique, because it has sculpted many of its natural landscapes. Perhaps in honour of this, in the municipality of Palau-saverdera there is an elevated point named Mas Ventós (Windy Farm). Here the wind sweeps away the fog, revealing views of the perfect bay of Roses and all the horizons of the Alt Empordà region. Getting here is simple, just take the GIP-6041 road that climbs the Sierra de Rodes mountains in the direction of the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes.
At the other end of this same region, inland, there is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the Empordà, Sant Llorenç de la Muga. The town stretches along the banks of the Muga river under the watchful presence of the Torre dels Moros, a perfectly preserved thousand-year-old circular watchtower that has been declared a cultural asset of national interest. Located on a small hill, it is reached by a pleasant circular walk and has become an impressive viewpoint of the Muga valley.
Roses. Oscar Rodbag. Arxiu d'Imatges PTCBG.
In the Cerdanya region there is also a tall stone structure that has become a tourist attraction. It is the bell tower of the old Santa Maria church in the middle of the town of Puigcerdà. Words cannot describe the feeling when, after climbing a spiral staircase of more than a hundred steps, you reach the top, at a height of 35 meters. Adjectives are meaningless as you gaze down with almost a bird’s-eye view on the geometric lines drawn by crops, towns and mountains.
Castellfollit de la Roca is a charming village in the Garrotxa. region. Challenging verticality, the village is perched atop a 50-metre-high cliff between two rivers, the Fluvià and the Toronell, meaning that visitors are always searching for a good spot from which to admire the spectacular and capricious panorama. For a few years now, this function has been performed by the wooden footbridge that was built over the Fluvià and is perfectly integrated into the walks that can be enjoyed in the area.
Castellfollit de la Roca. Maria Geli - Pilar Planagumà. Arxiu d'Imatges PTCBG.
A short walk is all it takes to climb to the viewpoint at Setcases cross, in the Camprodon valley, in the Ripollès region. The view from this small rocky hill offers a perfect rural scene, a painting in which three colours predominate: the brown of the roof tiles of all the houses, the green of the mountain range and the valley where the town lies, and the crisp clean blue of the sky. It is the perfect spot to take a moment to rest from the demands of daily life.
Another pleasant walk, another hill, another cross, another unforgettable view can be found at Puig de Sant Martirià in Banyoles. Here, the placid waters of Banyoles lake preside over a wide and generous area that could not be named anything else but Pla de l’Estany (the lake plain).
Estany de Banyoles. Ajuntament de Banyoles. Arxiu d'Imatges PTCBG.
We have saved the final panorama for the capital of the province, the city of Girona, and for the unique views offered by the sections of Roman wall that still surround it. From this vantage point, which can be walked around in a leisurely hour and a half, the view is impressive: here the slender profile of the city’s main monuments, there the landscape expanding towards the horizon. A must-see view!
