Where are we ?

THE LANDSCAPE

Our origins

What do we live?

The Costa Brava is the name that receives the Northern coast of Catalonia, from Portbou to Blanes. It is an extremly abrupt coast due to a mountain system which falls suddenly into the sea, which gives it a sauvage but at the same time lovely aspect. The pine trees which are usually next to the sea are very typical of the Costa Brava. However, there are some parts of the landscape such as the Gulf of Roses or the beaches of Pals which are different.

We shouldn't forget another characteristic of the Costa Brava, the presence of mountains next to the sea, which gives you the opportunity to enjoy two different landscapes at the same time.

The Costa Brava is a well known tourist destination due to its history, art and architecture. There is also the possibility to do any sport, specially sports related to the sea, as well as very good services, facilities and an excellent gastronomy.

Alt Empordà is one of the most ancients and important regions of Catalonia. It was the ancient county of Empúries, whose name came from the greek colony "Emporiom". This is the far north-eastern region of the Iberian Peninsula. Alt Empordà has a surface of 1342,43 km2 and a population of 92.982 inhabitants. The capital is a city called Figueres with 34.048 inhabitants. In short, this is a well known region thanks to Dali, to the typical gastronomy and to the wines and champagnes.

OUR ORIGINS

The Landscape

What do we live on?

Due to its situation, Alt Empordà has been influenced by a lot of different cultures. It has been considered as one of the most important archaelogical deposit of the Iberian Peninsula. Next to the greek and roman remains in l'Escala, we can find Sant Martí d'Empúries, a medieval village with gothic buildings and houses and also of other styles. In Roses, apart from the very important tourist and leisure offer, we must mention "Ciutadella"an ancient village with a fortification. From the Vth century to the XIXth century it was occupated by a lot of different cultures such as Greeks, Romans, Iberians, Celts... Later this space was excavated and a Greek neiboughrhood, a roman village and a medieval monastery were discovered. Another important place is Peralada, above all the castle and also the casino. Peralada is known all over the world thanks to the International Music Festival which is held in this medieval village.

The region of Alt Empordà counts on an excellent romanesque heritage. We must stand out the magnificient monastry of Sant Pere de Rodes, considered World-wide Heritage by the Unesco. To conclude with, we can say that Alt Empordà is a region with a long history. We have been invaded by a lot of different "visitors", such as Frenchs, Castillans, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Arabians, Visigoths... There has been differents clashes between the medieval dominant counties of Castelló d'Empúries and Peralada.

All this combination and influences along the years has created the life and habits of the inhabitants.

What do we live on?

The Landscape

Our origins

The commercial tradition of the region comes from the VI century B.C. when the greeks comes to Empúries and had dealings with the inhabitants of the region.

The traditionnal economy has always been rural based on olive trees, vineyards and the trilogy of wheat, maize and alfalfa, with areas of fruit trees and horticulture. In the most humid area of the plain, next to the marshes, there is a vaste area of natural parks used for cattle. The activities related to the sea are also very important on the fishing Ports of Roses, el Port de la Selva, Llançà and l'Escala.

There are other important activities as well as the cattle breeding which during many centurys has been a complement of the agriculture and has recently increased. Furthermore, we have the industry, less important than the commercial sector but also related to the development of the region.

Nowadays, Alt Empordà is above all a tourist region with an economy based on services like hotels, restaurants and commerce. The activities of the region have moved from the first sector (agriculture and fishing) to the tirth sector (services). In spite of this, agriculture is consolidated in a lot of inland villages and coexists with tourist activities and construction. More specifically Figueres is known as a commercial town due to its wide range of shops.