The part of the
Baix Penedès region that overlooks the sea does so with eyes that reflect its maritime heritage. In
Calafell the building that
formerly housed the Confraternity of Fishermen is now the
interpretation centre for the town's maritime past and part of its collective history. The town's seafront promenade still boasts one of the few architectural features of that time: the
Casa Barral, a former fisherman's shop where the poet and publisher
Carlos Barral once lived. It is now a museum in his memory. It is not, however, the only centre devoted to renowned personages in Baix Penedès' history, in El Vendrell there are more.
Without leaving Calafell, however, and delving further into the past, we encounter the Iberians. There is an
Iberian fortress in the town that has been reconstructed enabling you to walk through its streets and enter the houses, which have been
furnished with objects found in the settlement itself. The tour of bygone times continues at the
castle of Santa Creu, a medieval fortification. The castle and its surrounding area are now an open-air archaeological park that brings Calafell's history to life.
The most famous sons of
Vendrell, the capital of the district, are
Pau Casals, Àngel Guimerà and Apel·les Fenosa. Here you can visit the
house where Casals, whose interpretation of
El cant dels ocells on the cello became world famous, was born. The house recreates the ambience of the Casals' family home at the time and you can see the instruments that would have influenced the beginning of his musical career. The route that bears his name provides more information about his life and work, in the same way as a literary route reveals the life and work of the dramatist and poet, Àngel Guimerà the author of
Terra baixa, along with the
museum tat bears his name in Vendrell town centre.
The
Apel·les Fenosa Foundation has a collection of this artist's
original terracotta and plaster sculptures, as well as a selection of monumental bronzes. They are on display in the house Fenosa bought for his summer residence, the
Casa del Portal del Pardo. The
Museu Deu, in an imposing former nobleman's home, has a wider-ranging collection of art, an
example of a 20th-century Catalan collection consisting of items of all kinds.
An excursion proposed in collaboration with the magazine
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