GIRONA Costa Brava

 The capital of the Costa Brava region was founded by the Romans on the site of an Iberian settlement in the 1st century BC. Over the years it has been subject to numerous invasions Charlemagne liberated it from the Arabs in 785, and Napoleon besieged the city for seven months in 1809. The city you see today consists of a medieval centre built on top of the Roman foundations, and an expanding new town across the Onyar river, where the waterfront houses form the most enduring image of Girona.

You can still make out traces of the old Roman city. Carrer de la Fona, the cobbled street at the heart of the Jewish quarter, was once part of the Roman Via Augusta, a continental highway linking Rome to southern Spain. The Sobreportes arch at the foot of the cathedral steps is built over one of the old Roman entrances to the city. The statue of the Virgin of Good Death standing in a niche above the arch is a reminder that in later times prisoners were led through this gate to their execution. But modern Girona is about more than ancient monuments. It's a thriving university city, with cafes, bookshops and bicycles, and a lively provincial capital, playing its part in the Catalan renaissance. The city has been called Barcelona's little sister. It has all the style of the Catalan capital, but is more intimate and approachable.

The craggy coastline of cliffs, coves and cork woods at the heart of the Costa Brava epitomises the nature of the 'Wild Coast'. Tourism has arrived here, but slowly there are few high-rise hotels, and the villas on the hillsides are mostly second homes for the people of Barcelona. The tranquil resorts around Begur and Palafrugell, with their sandy beaches and shimmering bays, are some of the most relaxing places on the entire Catalan coast. Inland, towns like Besalu and Pals have been restored to their medieval splendor, while the Garrotxa region of sleeping volcanoes around Olot makes for an interesting day out. There are historic castles and monasteries to be explored, and Girona, the provincial capital, is one of the most pleasing cities in Spain.