The Roman road of Capsacosta is as good a place as any from which to start a cultural exploration of Garrotxa. Built around 200 BCE, it formed the main artery from the Pyrenees to the northern Catalan coast for some 2,000 years, an indispensable transport link for generations of farmers, soldiers, traders and civilians. From the Vall de Bianya, an area that forms part of Garrotxa’s volcanic park, there are various routes to try—one, a 15-kilometre excursion that loops from the town of Sant Salvador de Bianya to St. Pau de Segúries and back again, should satiate anyone’s appetite for following in Roman footsteps.
Moving through the centuries, the towns of Besalú and Santa Pau highlight the beauty of medieval art and architecture. Though today a modest place, Besalú was for centuries a seat of great importance—first to the Romans and then to the various independent earldoms that followed, and it still boasts a plethora of Romanesque structures, including the 12th-century Monestir de Sant Pere, with its unique ambulatory, and the iconic fortified bridge with its seven irregular arches. Records also indicate the presence of a significant ancient Jewish community, though the only physical remnant is the 12th-century El Miqvé, a ritual bathhouse made of stone, which is still the only one of its kind to have been discovered on the Iberian Peninsula.
Santa Pau, which sits in the middle of the comarca’s Volcanic Zone National Park, is a medieval village with an old quarter marked by gateways, arches, wooden balconies that drip with flowers and ancient cobbled streets. The Plaça Mayor (or Firal dels Bous), the arcaded main square that is presided over by the Santa María church, narrows into the many twisting alleyways that lead to the Portal del Mar, which in turn offers lovely views of the surrounding valleys and the Romanesque churches that dot the landscape. Many of these can be reached on foot and offer fabulous volcanic vistas.
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