Figueres And the interior of the Alt Empordà
The Empordà, one of the historical demarcations more ancient of Catalonia, that corresponds in bold strokes to the mediaeval county of Empúries, constitutes geographically a big coastal plain alluvial between the Pyrenees and the Gavarres, with other mountainous sectors to which owe the stretches of rocky coast and escarpada that justify the modern name of CoastBrav to.
The big plain divides administratively in the regions of the Alt Empordà and the Baix Empordà. The Alt Empordà is the northern sector, in the alluvial plain of the river Muga and the Fluvià. It has to Figueres like capital, that displaced to Castelló d'Empúries or Peralada by his situation in a crossing of communications and constitutes a city-market supracomarcal, to which attend also the people of the Rosellón.
All this plain has the charm that confers him the beauty of the Mediterranean landscape, humanizado, with his crops protected of the strong winds of tramontana by the fences of cypresses, the ancient farms disseminated, the small cores grouped around the churches or to the ancient castles and houses señoriales.
Figueres Is a vital population, next to the frank border-Spanish and very communicated with all the Empordà, with the Rambla like main artery, flanqueada by bananas, full of animation and with beautiful buildings neoclásicos and modernist.
Active political and cultural life from the past century, (Narcís Monturiol, utopian socialist and inventor of the submarine, or Pep Ventura, that restructured the sardana).
Salvador Dalí also was of Figueres, to him is devoted the Teatre-Museu Dalí, inaugurated in 1974 in the ancient Teatre Main, with interesting cúpula reticulada of Pérez Piñero and expanded with the Tower Galatea, where died the painter (1989), is one of the most visited museums of the country.
Also they have interest the Museu of l'Empordà and the Museu of the Joguet.
In the outskirts raises the big military fortress of the castle of Figueres (1753-66), work of Martín Cermeño.
To the N of Figueres finds Peralada, with an interesting monumental group chaired by the big castle señorial of the Rocabertí, with beautiful elements renacentistas (s. XV and XVI) and also neomedievalistas (s. XIX), surrounded by a big park; at present it is an important casino of game and in summer celebrates the prestigious International Festival of Music.
Near of the castle finds the convent of Carme, church and claustro of elegant Gothic art (s. XIV), with the Museu of the Castell of Peralada (ceramic, glass, ancient art) and important library. It fits to stand out besides the claustro romance of Sant Domènec, houses señoriales and the beautiful square porticada.
Preparation of wines and dig.
Between Peralada and Figueres there is the small population of Vilabertran, formed around an ancient monastery or canonical augustiniana (s. XI-XVI), with beautiful samples of the romance (church, claustro and bell tower) and of the Gothic (palace abacial and other dependencies, glorious cross procesional of goldsmithing); in summer celebrates the International Festival of Music Schubertíada.
More south we find the village of Sant Miquel of Fluvià, with the church of the ancient abbey benedictina, that constitutes an important sample of the romance Catalan.
Near also there is interesting mediaeval buildings: Sant Tomàs of Fluvià (ancient romance priorate) and Sant Mori (ancient Gothic palace-renacentista).
And more to poniente, in the village of Lladó, can admire the romance of the beautiful canonical augustiniana of Santa Maria.