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Rodoreda’s footprint in Romanyà de la Selva

In 2008, the Maria Àngels Anglada - Carles Fages de Climent Literary Heritage Chair at the University of Girona and the Gavarres Consortium created a route that reflects on the relationship between Mercè Rodoreda and Romanyà de la Selva, where she spent her final days and which inspired her later works.
 
Mercè Rodoreda described the village of Romanyà de la Selva, in the Baix Empordà, as “sensational”, a place where “the houses are quite far away from each other”, said the author. That’s because this small town, which belongs to the municipality of Santa Cristina d’Aro, is located in the Sierra de las Gavarres, a natural space where Rodoreda spent the last eleven years of her life and was a long way from her native Barcelona, from Paris, where she was first exiled, and Geneva afterwards. A town that the most prominent Catalan writer of the 20th century depicted in some of her final works, such as Broken Mirror, So much war... and Travels and flowers.
 
The route, organised by the Maria Àngels Anglada - Carles Fages de Climent Literary Heritage Chair at the University of Girona and the Gavarres Consortium, proposes a self-guided itinerary through the corners that served as a backdrop for Rodoreda between 1972, the year she returned to Catalonia from exile, and 1983, when she died.
 
It begins in the Plaza de la Rectoria and is a one-and-a-half hour route that works its way through the key locations of her life in Romanyà: the Les Gavarres refuge and restaurant, where she spent her first few nights in the village; el Senyal Vell, the house owned by Carme Manrubia, a friend of Rodoreda, where the writer lived during her first years in Romanyà de la Selva and where she wrote and finished her works; the Mirandes viewpoint, the forest that so inspired her; the dolmen of the Cueva d’en Daina; and the village cemetery, where she is buried and where we can find a bust of her. The visit to these spaces is complemented by numerous excerpts from her books, which bear witness to how Rodoreda put the landscape around her into words. In her novel Aloma, she already said that “things were beautiful, life not so much”.
 
Her garden, the holm oaks of Las Gavarres and the general atmosphere of Romanyà de la Selva are essential elements for understanding the final part of Mercè Rodoreda’s work, which turned the physical environment into a literary environment where she could reflect her latest stories, eternally marked by the flowers in her childhood garden, and which she pursued for a lifetime.
 
The Mercè Rodoreda route explores the literary geography of the writer from twelve key points in the town, which are already part of the literary history of Catalonia.

 
A proposal brought to you in collaboration with Descobrir magazine.

An autumn getaway in the charm of Ripollès

The first stop on your getaway will be Llanars, a small medieval village located between Camprodon and Vilallonga. Its historic centre is structured around the Romanesque church of Sant Esteve, a 12th-century construction that stands out above all for its impressive entrance and the ironwork on its door. Very close to Llanars, you’ll find Camprodon, an ancient village that offers spectacular panoramic mountain views, Romanesque temples and modernist summer houses. However, the emblem of Camprodon is undoubtedly the Nou bridge. Built in the late 12th century, it has become the most popular and photographed image of the village. A visit to the monastery of Sant Pere is also a must, a Romanesque temple dating from the mid-12th century. And if you have time, we strongly recommend going to Beget, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Catalonia, with cobbled streets, medieval bridges and the majestic Romanesque church of Sant Cristòfol.

The next stop on your trip will be Sant Joan de les Abadesses, a historic village closely linked to its monastery. It’s one of the most important monuments of the Catalan Romanesque and the first female monastery in Catalonia. Afterwards, you can continue your tour by visiting the Abbatial Palace, built in the 14th century, which now houses the Interpretation Centre of the Myth of Count Arnau. We also recommend taking a walk around the old town of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, where you’ll find the remains of the wall that once surrounded the municipality, and cross the emblematic Vell bridge.

Finally, go to Ripoll, the capital of Ripollès. There, you simply must visit the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll, one of the most beautiful and evocative monuments in Catalonia. The doorway, basilica and cloister make up a unique ensemble. This municipality is also home to the first ethnographic museum in Catalonia, which invites you to take a tour and learn about the history, traditions and culture of Ripoll.

Autumn is also a great time to enjoy some of the hiking trails on offer in the region, such as the itinerary that leads from Beget to Rocabruna along the old smugglers' paths.

And if you’re a fan of biking, you can’t leave without cycling a section of the Iron and Coal Route, which connects the county capital with Sant Joan de les Abadesses.
 
A proposal brought to you in collaboration with Descobrir magazine.
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Notice: Catalan Cultural Heritage sites will remain closed

12.03.2020
In sight of the last events, the Government adopts new additional measures of prevention and control of the infection for the SARS-CoV-2, and adopts the closure of the archives, museums, monuments and archaeological sites of Catalonia.

This measure responds at the aim to avoid the increment of risk of contagion for part of the visitors and users, as well as of the workers of the centres.

These measures are currently in action from today March 13 2020 and for a minimum of 15 days, being susceptible of review at coherence with the epidemiological situation of each moment.

English translation unavailable for La 5a edició de Nadal al Museu de la Xarxa de Museus de les Comarques de Girona arriba amb novetats que s’allargaran durant tot l’any.