It’s a shame that summer is over and, with it, the days at the beach. However, autumn is a good time to enjoy a relaxed getaway. A must in this season of the year to walk through the corners of the picturesque summer towns, learning more about their culture. It is a privilege because you do not suffocate from the heat and deserted and quiet streets abound. With the same beauty as the Costa Brava, the Costa Daurada has hidden places that are not usually talked about, much less visited, but I assure you that they will not disappoint you.
Calafell
Santa Creu Castle
A few kilometers from Barcelona and across the Costa del Garraf begins the Costa Daurada. One of the first towns to grace this coastline is Calafell, one of the most renowned coastal towns in Catalonia. It offers a great variety of beaches, restaurants and squares to enjoy a good vacation. But few of you know that, among the old alleys of its historic core, a fortified enclosure from medieval times is hidden. A castle that was identified in the year 1037, located on a hill near the church of Santa Creu. There is no waste in visiting it because, in addition to interesting stories, it offers the most amazing views of the town.
Altafulla
Castle of Altafulla
Few will have heard of Altafulla and its mysterious legend of the witches. In fact, there is a specific day in the summer that they call La nit de les Bruixes (the night of the witches). Legend has it that one night a year the sorceresses roam the streets and perform witchcraft soaring through the skies with their brooms. This coastal town is also known above all for the iconic multicolored fishermen’s houses that decorate the seafront.
Wandering through the steep narrow paths of the old town you can see charming corners, but the real admiration of the place is the immense and spectacular castle. A fortification that leaves you speechless! This enclosure was mentioned for the first time in the year 1059. However, it is documented from the middle of the 12th century during the conquest of Tortosa. From the fourteenth century it belonged to the Requesens family. After passing through other hands, it ended up in the property of Francesc Montserrat, first Marquis of Tamarit, whose descendants are the current owners.
Tarragona
Ferrán’s Castle
A medieval Eden is the little town of Ferran. A typical village where the people who reside are those who have spent their entire lives there and their generations do not want to lose the place where their family has taken root. It is a small place where there are hardly more than 40 houses and the neighbors who consider themselves a big family, move their tables to the street and gather to celebrate the festivities.
The castle of Ferran was illustrated for the first time in the will of Guillem de Granada in 1197
It was illustrated for the first time in the will of Guillem de Granada in 1197, since he gave it to his nephew Berenguer de Castellet. In 1340 it passed into the hands of the Archbishop of Tarragona. And, at the end of the 17th century, it became a residential palace owned by the Marquis of Tamarit.
The enclosure is made up of several fortified bodies in which a square floor plan with 20 meters high with battlements stands out, prepared so that the archers will counterattack guaranteeing protection to the town. It has some Gothic and other Renaissance windows and always with the coat of arms of Tamarit -which are the current owners-.
Tarragona
Tamarit Castle
If you are from Barça, you already know – or should know – that the footballer Andrés Iniesta held his wedding celebration in a splendid fortification. Welcome to Tamarit Castle! This enclosure is located in a coastal urbanization, made up of nothing less than a campsite, a tennis club and amazing luxury houses. Of course, it has a beach -it communicates with Altafulla- and a very charming cove. Between both sandbanks is the relic of the place that rises on a rocky promontory.
Its castle dates back to the second half of the 11th century. This fortification with a simple structure and a polygonal floor plan has a watchtower that was built to defend against Barbary pirates and protect Mediterranean trade. During the reign of Pere IV el Cerimoniós, the castle was walled next to the town and its admirable chapel from the coastal rocks, defending itself from maritime attacks.
Cambrils
Castle of Vilafortuny
When Salou comes to mind you associate it with a party and when you think of Cambrils you imagine tranquility. Well, between both towns is the population that has relaxation but at the same time fun. This coastal enclave hides a very hidden treasure for those who visit the town. Vilafortuny castle. A representative monument for the locals for the history it tells and its past.
With an area of ​​1,660 square metres, the majestic walled fort has some towers, extensive gardens and an attractive chapel. The first documents that speak of the place appear in the year 1152. Count Ramon Berenguer IV together with Prince Robert asked Ponç de Regomir to build a fort and a watchtower. A few years later, Robert again asked to fortify the castle, but this time to the Bertran family, who decided to call themselves Cambrils. However, over the years it ended up being the property of the church of Tarragona.
During the 15th and 16th centuries pirates attacked and in July 1582 seven Saracen galleons arrived in the city, destroying the castle. It was reformed and in 1933 it ended up in the hands of the Castellarnau family. Currently it corresponds to a private company that organizes celebrations and weddings.
