FIGUERES

The capital of the Alt Emporda region would be just another county town, were it not for the influence of its most famous son, Salvador Dali. Tourists pour in by the bus-load to see his surreal theatre museum and Figueres is enjoying a new-found prosperity as a result. For centuries it was an unassuming market town, created by royal charter in 1267; now it is firmly established on the Spanish tourist circuit.

Long before Dali's birth in 1904, Figueres had a reputation for creativity and new ideas federalism, Republicanism, Modernist art. The Utopian socialist Narcis Monturiol, claimed as the inventor of the submarine, was born in the same street as Dali; it was another local resident. Pep Ventura, who created the modern form of the sardana in the mid-19th century.

FIGUERES OLD TOWN

Between the Rambla and the Dali museum lies the centre of old Figueres, now a network of pedestrian shopping streets. Several of these streets converge on Placa Ajuntament, a peaceful, arcaded square that was once the gateway to the city. The street names leading away from the square show Figueres' historical importance.

TOY MUSEUM FIGUERES

In the old Hotel Paris, this museum started from one man's collection. Over 3,000 traditional toys are displayed, from cardboard horses to nativity scenes

RAMBLA FIGUERES

The heart of Figueres is its Rambla, a tree lined boulevard built over an old stream with small squares at either end. Whenever he was far from home, Dali used to reminisce about Figueres' Thursday market, and the pavement cafes on the Rambla on market day are still the best place to take the pulse of the town. There are two good museums here, and several Modernist houses, designed by local artist, Josep Azemar. Nearby, in Placa Josep Pia, is the CineTeatre Jardi, a spectacular Modernista theatre, built in 1914.