Girona Old Town Costa Brava

As recently as 1964 the British travel writer Jan Morris described Girona as 'a shabby city of the north', but nobody could say that today. The political and cultural renaissance since 1980 has been accompanied by an architectural revival and a determination to show this historic city at its best. Dilapidated convents have been given new life as museums and art galleries; the university has been restored to its 16^th century home, and the narrow streets of the medieval Jewish district, the Call Jueu  have been carefully restored.

This is a city for strolling, wandering at random among the maze of streets and going wherever a hidden archway or flight of steps leads you. Sun and shade, iron and stone, courtyards and balconies, narrow alleys and wide open squares, all come together here in perfect harmony. Girona is at its most enchanting in the streets of the old guilds. Between Placa de l'Oli and Placa del Vi, once the oil and wine markets, lies a network of narrow lanes, each named after a medieval trade. Carrer de I'Argenteria was once lined with silversmiths, Carrer de Mercaders with merchants, Carrer de les Ferreries Velles with blacksmiths and Carrer Peixateries Velles with fishmongers. Their places may have been taken by trendy cafes and boutiques, but the streets are still appealing.