Baix Empordà

What is the Empordà?

The name evokes very diverse images and concepts. Contrasts are the distinctive feature of this land of passage: the calm of the hinterland and the summer bustle of the coast, the open beaches and the sheltered coves, the mountains and the plains, the work in the fields and the industrialization in the cities, culinary tradition and gastronomic innovation, Dalí 's outburst and Pla 's good sense… There is not, then, a single Empordà, but many. The virtue of the territory and its inhabitants is the balance of everything. Any visitor can find a corner that makes them experience the link with the history, the landscape and the people of an endless territory.

Framed between the Montgrí massif and the Sierra de Cadiretes – Ardenya, the Baix Empordà stretches out like a mosaic of fields, hills, forests and waterways that opens onto the Mediterranean.

The diversity of the landscape and a mild climate – with the permission of the north winds and other more discreet winds – have given rise to a region conducive to human settlement, where everything is within reach. Since prehistory, people have established an intimate connection with nature in this territory, which has manifested itself in trades, from peasants to artists, including fishermen and potters. Traveling along the rural roads from town to town, admiring the steep relief of the Costa Brava and tasting the fruits that the land and the sea bear, we will verify that the Baix Empordà is a living territory, a heritage that evolves thanks to the collective effort of an enterprising community. and creative, with character and personality, but very welcoming and generous with all those who share this esteem for this Empordà corner of our country.

the 8 essences

medieval towns

Walking the roads that cross the Empordà territory, here and there you can see bell towers, towers, fragments of the wall... These are some of the characteristic elements of the medieval towns that are scattered among the crops and forests of the Baix Empordà.
The centenary stones of these villas preserve the legacy of the region and are the testimony of a way of life in connection with the landscape that has been maintained to date.

Divided between the counties of Empúries and Girona, the lands of what we now call Baix Empordà saw how, during the Middle Ages, towns, castles and religious buildings were built. The weight of the church and the social structure, divided into estates, shaped the physiognomy of the towns.

The medieval heritage is, without a doubt, one of the great attractions of the Baix Empordà. The good state of conservation of many buildings and monuments, as well as the maintenance of the structure of the towns – narrow, irregularly laid cobbled streets – give them the character of an open-air museum.

A walk through these nuclei allows you to appreciate the austere beauty of the Romanesque buildings and capture the contributions of later styles. The silence that reigns welcomes visitors and invites them to take life slowly, observing the signs of the passage of time on facades, capitals and arcades.

Pals, Peratallada, Palau-sator or Monells are some of the best-known medieval towns in the region, but there are more. Discover them on foot, by bike or by car. A good option is to follow the route by car through the medieval towns.

Paths of Ronda

One of the main attractions of the Baix Empordà are its coastal paths, spaces that border the coast, linking coastal towns and allowing you to explore the territory on foot enjoying the most authentic landscape of the Costa Brava. They are paths full of history, used, among other purposes, to help defend the territory or for clandestine transportation.

The Baix Empordà has a wide variety of coastal paths. Some are nice walks by the sea; others more irregular accompany the relief of the coast entering through rocks and discovering coves and corners; And we cannot forget others that, with greater difficulty or unevenness, generate an adventure of discovery in the middle of nature. Many coincide with the GR-92 trail or with other marked trails.

Empordà cuisine

The cuisine is an obvious example of the generosity of our land: the sea provides the excellent fish and shellfish typical of coastal dishes; the plain, fruits and products from the fields and orchards; and the mountain, meats, cheeses and wild products. The mixture of all these elements is what has given our cuisine the variety of tastes and contrasts that distinguish it, and that materializes in the so-called sea and mountain cuisine.

unique landscapes

The Baix Empordà could not be summed up in a single image. The territories between Montgrí, Gavarres, Ardenya-Cadiretes and the Mediterranean make up a puzzle as diverse as it is harmonious. Shaped by time, climate and human activity, the many facets of the landscape invite a careful visit: from the flat fields of cultivation to the steep edges of the coastline, each corner conveys the spirit of the region.

The rich landscape constitutes a fundamental value for the Baix Empordà. And many of the Lower Empordà landscapes are today protected natural spaces, among which the Montgrí Natural Park, the Medes Islands and the Baix Ter or other spaces such as the Gavarres and Ardenya-Cadiretes massifs, the Mountains of Begur, Castle – Cap Roig, the Island of Canet and the Riberas del Baix Ter. This set of natural landscapes gives the Baix Empordà a physiognomy that makes it unique.

The north wind is the most emblematic wind of the Empordà. While in the Alt Empordà it clearly predominates, in the Baix Empordà it competes with the garbí, the south wind. The coincidence of these meteorological elements creates a small climate of its own, which is one of those responsible for the relief, flora and fauna of the region. The incidence of these winds was described by Josep Pla, the most attentive observer in the region.

land of passage

For millennia, the Baix Empordà has been a land of passage and an ideal place for agriculture, fishing, crafts and certain types of industry to flourish. Each era has left its mark on a region that is a true confluence of legacies and cultures.

sailor charm

The sea is one of the main sources of wealth in the Baix Empordà. Its use has not only been vital for centuries for the economy of the region, but also the fishing work, as well as the inhabitants of the coast and their lifestyle, have decisively contributed to shaping the identity of the Lower Empordà.

The close relationship with the sea and the meteorological phenomena that occur is the substratum of its own culture, the seafaring culture, with its own speeches, beliefs and rituals. One of its best-known manifestations is the tavern song, a musical genre that reflects the life and vision of the world of the people of the Costa Brava.

Sea and mountain

The Baix Empordà is a living territory, where capricious nature and accompanied by the imprint of man draw changing and contrasting landscapes, different in every corner of the region. A sign of identity and an invitation to discover it.

Natural resources are the basis of this territory, which is generous at your disposal and enjoyment, as long as we are capable of respecting and admiring it responsibly. On foot or by bicycle, contact with nature will be constant. Enjoy it!

• Natural Protected Areas
• Beaches and coves
• coastal paths
• Trekking
• Cycle tourism / cycling
• MTB

Characters

The landscape, the north winds, the ancient history or a little bit. It is difficult to find out why the Baix Empordà has been and is the nest of unique and outstanding artists, who have found a suitable environment in which to be inspired and create.

• Josep Plan
• Salvador Dali
• Mercè Rodoreda
• Carmen Amaya
• Luis Lach