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In Catalonia, discover La Garrotxa, the valley of dormant volcanoes

2023-03-20T12:08:53.533Z


On the other side of the Pyrenees, it floats in Garrotxa like a perfume from Auvergne. This small region of Catalonia located equidistant from Perpignan and Barcelona, ​​is dotted with around forty volcanoes and lava flows, to be discovered from the charming city of Olot.


Walks between cones and lava flows

The black of the almost fossilized lava, the ocher of the earth, the green of the lawns and the beech woods.

La Garrotxa has inherited unique contrasting landscapes from its volcanic past.

Created in 1985, the La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park has no less than 38 cones, all of which have been extinct for tens of thousands of years, and around twenty lava flows, most of which are covered with beeches or holm oaks. .

To discover

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Perched at 789 meters above sea level, the Croscat volcano is the highest of the Garrotxa volcanoes.

Tourism Garrotxa

Among these geological structures, the

Croscat volcano

accumulates distinctions.

Perched at 789 meters above sea level, it is the highest of the Garrotxa volcanoes and its Strombolian-type cone is the largest on the Iberian Peninsula.

Corscat was also the last volcano in Spain to erupt.

It was 14,000 years ago.

Since then, the volcanic area of ​​La Garrotxa has been immersed in an ideal tranquility for the practice of hiking with the family.

Several routes visit Croscat and other volcanoes such as

Santa Margarida

whose circular crater is now occupied by a Romanesque hermitage.

Also not to be missed is the walk through the

Fageda

(beech grove in Catalan)

of En Jordà

.

Gorgeous.

And for those who are reluctant to walk, the company Vol de Coloms offers to fly over the volcanoes of La Garrotxa in a hot air balloon.

How to access the Volcanoes Natural Park?

There are two large car parks on the road between Olot and Santa Pau.

The first, Can Serra, is located right next to the Fageda d'En Jordà.

That of Santa Margarita is just between Croscat and Santa Margarida.

Olot, volcanic capital

Montsacopa

, the youngest of the region's volcanoes.

Oscar Rodbag / Turisme Garrotxa

In Garrotxa, volcanoes are everywhere, including in the heart of the city of Olot.

The region's capital is even built around

Montsacopa

, the region's youngest volcano, which got its rounded shape from a 100,000-year-old eruption.

Its crater measures 120 meters in diameter.

It is easily accessible from the city center.

Populated by nearly 40,000 inhabitants,

Olot

is the perfect city to shine in the region.

Despite the earthquakes which hardly spared it, successively collapsing four cathedrals – it has retained its charm, its ancient structure, its Saint Esteve cathedral which houses a rich collection of religious art (including a painting of Christ carrying his cross by El Greco), and a few modernist nuggets as a bonus.

The pretty contemporary hall, located in the middle of town, is also worth a detour to pick up some local charcuterie.

How to get there ?

From Perpignan, take the A9.

Cross the border at Perthus and continue towards Barcelona.

In Figueres, take the N-260 to Olot.

Count 1h15 drive from Perpignan.

In the footsteps of the Nobel Prize for architecture

At the entrance to Olot, the park of Pedra Tosca, a labyrinth of steel that winds through the middle of lava stones.

Oscar Rodbag / Turisme Garrotxa

The RCR trio have made Olot a city that counts in the world of architecture.

In 2017, Carme Pigem, Rafael Aranda and Ramón Vilalta, natives of the capital of La Garrotxa, received the Pritzker Prize, the equivalent of the Nobel in architecture for their sober, sometimes austere but luminous achievements.

In France, we owe them the Soulages museum in Rodez.

At home, where their agency is located, they have built villas that abolish the boundaries with nature, a one-of-a-kind restaurant (see elsewhere), an athletics stadium among the beeches or, at the entrance to the city, the park of Pedra Tosca, a labyrinth of steel which walks in the middle of lava stones.

Where to see the works of RCR?

In Olot, go through calle Fontanella to discover the Bunka fundació (at no. 21) and the Barberi space (at no. 26).

Then head east.

The Pedra Tosca Park is 1.5 km from the centre.

Returning to the city, along a greenway called ruta del Carrilet, don't miss the athletics stadium (Carrer Sant Feliu).

The marriage of cuisine and architecture

Les Cols is an establishment with two Michelin stars.

Oscar Rodbag / Turisme Garrotxa

Les Cols is an establishment that is as valuable for its cuisine, that of Fina Puigdevall, two Michelin stars, as for its architecture.

It was indeed RCR that transformed Fina's old farmhouse, opening it up to nature and light.

On site, you can even sleep in glass cube rooms for an unforgettable sensory experience.

Avenida les Cols, Olot.

Such.

: +34 972 26 92 09.

Perched on a lava flow

The village of Castellfollit-de-la-Roca.

Oscar Rodbag / Turisme Garrotxa

The village of

Castellfollit-de-la-Roca

defies the laws of balance.

Its bell tower and its old buildings are literally suspended on the edge of a basalt cliff fifty meters high and one kilometer long.

The panorama is breathtaking.

Going down the footbridge that crosses the Fluvià, you can also admire the basalt organs born from two superimposed lava flows.

How to get there :

On leaving Olot, take the GI 522 towards Figueres, which passes through Sant-Joan-les-Fonts.

Allow 10 minutes.

Last stop in Besalú

The city of Besalu.

Tourism Garrotxa

Unlike Olot, the

city of Besalú

has been preserved from earthquakes.

Its impressive Romanesque heritage spans the centuries, starting with the splendid Vell Bridge, dating from the 11th century, which spans the River Fluvià.

In the Middle Ages, the building served as a toll booth at the entrance to La Garrotxa.

Today, it allows you to reach the winding and narrow streets of Besalú, to pass in the shade of the turrets, to discover the remains of a Benedictine monastery and the Casa Llaudes, a remarkable example of Romanesque civil architecture arranged around an elegant patio built on the model of a cloister.

Besalú is also known for its Jewish heritage.

If there are still a few fragments of its synagogue, you have to go to the banks of the river to admire the

How to get there ?

From Olot, take the A-26 expressway towards Figueres.

Allow 20 minutes by car.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2023-03-20

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