In Maçanet de Cabrenys, in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the Alt Emporda, there is a new sport being played, but one which has a growing number of fans: footballgolf. The founders of the club are four friends from the town, who had the brilliant idea of setting up a footballgolf...
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It was Xavier Rubert de Ventós who talked about “civil disobedience”, in reference to the camps in 1977 and 1978 in Aiguamolls in the Emporda, which stopped the developers’ bulldozers in their tracks. Since then, an environmental militancy has fought to preserve the dignity of the...
When Cadaqués-based author and playwright Henri-François Rey wrote Le Rachdingue in 1967 he could never have imagined that his title would become associated with nights of wild parties for more than a generation. Le Rachdingue was an invented word which translates into “a force of madness”...
Marc R. Arumí, a beekeeper with years of experience, is painfully aware that bees are in danger and their numbers are falling. 30 years ago a hive would give 20 kg of honey a year, while today they average just 15. This is because insecticides, climate change, new parasites, like varroa, and...
In the small village of Regencós, between Pals and Begur, is a unique restaurant with the Slow Food seal and named after a flower: La Calèndula (marigold). Its chef Iolanda Bustos is, besides being an excellent cook, a true botanical connoisseur, more capable than anyone of putting her...
Since 1995 “La Cuina de l’Empordanet” has been promoting the quality of gastronomy in the region to make the Empordà a prime destination for top quality food. The 20 restaurants that constitute this collective primarily use local products, from sea or land. Their chefs treat these...
On 14 June 2002, the IAEDEN called for the creation of a transversal citizen platform capable of defending the environment of the Empordà. Salvem l’Empordà has done a lot of work in the last 15 years. In 2006, it achieved one of its main goals when the public authorities approved the Land-Use...
At the foot of the Gavarres, outside the village of Cruïlles, is the Arboreco tree nursery, where Italian-born Marco Sangiorgio decided to create this place for reproducing endangered heritage and, while he was at it, earn himself a living. It specialises in traditional fruit tree varieties, which...
Emiliano López and Mònica Rivera made a name for themselves as architects 10 years ago for a project in the Navarra desert, and ever since work has been in no short supply. They have recently been awarded one of the Architecture Awards of Girona for houses that use cork, with an effective bid...
“Paisatge megalític de l’Alt Empordà” began as a commission from the Sant Climent Sescebes Town Council in 2011 for a series of photographs that portrayed the Aspres region. The project subsequently blossomed into a display of our great megalithic heritage and the magnificent...
At just 29, Manel Vehí from Boia Nit in Cadaqués has earned himself a reputation as one of the world’s top cocktail makers. After winning the Mediterranean Inspirations world championships by Gin Mare and becoming the face of this brand, Manel Vehí is currently advising some of the best hotels...
Cristina Flores and Carles Sòria, founders of the Ecoturisme Empordà platform
This Swiss artist, recently settled in La Bisbal d’Empordà, uses unusual objects to create pieces that never fail to surprise.
Beat Keller is a multifaceted artist. He studied in New York’s School of Visual Arts and went on to work in a top-end advertising agency in Switzerland. As fate would...
The relationship between humans and the skies has developed since the dawn of mankind and is present in of all the world’s civilisations. This natural and cultural heritage is so significant that UNESCO has recognised dark skies as an implicit right to be preserved. Unfortunately, light pollution...
Sometimes art completes what nature cannot create; at other times, art imitates nature.
Aristotle, Physics II.8
Time stands still in Palo Alto, the oldest Cultural Factory of Barcelona. It was founded as the Hangar by artists and creatives long before city technicians and managers discovered...
The land where I was born is inhospitable in the winter and insane in the summer. The autumns are soothing and in the springtime it is stunning. Maybe that’s why the Empordanese are or seem to be, quadripolar. We go from the deepest sorrow to the most extreme histrionism, from dark melancholy to...
Landscapes emerge from a relationship. There is no landscape without someone to contemplate it, frame it and give it meaning. But it is not only with your eyes that you can perceive landscape. It takes hold of all 5 of your senses. And smell plays a leading role. Looking down at the land from a...
So I can get better photos Carlos Manich decides to take the door out on my side and tells me not to worry. We are wearing seat belts and the ultralight aircraft we’re travelling in is carrying parachutes. The aircraft turns into the wind, accelerates down the runway and for a moment, as we take...
Everyone has their own Empordà, shaped by personal experience, family heritage, years of reading, tradition, dreams or fantasies. For some, the Empordà is a walk through the Alberes, for others it’s an evening in the Bay of Roses, or a trip up to the Mare de Déu del Mont, panoramic views over...
When Francesca gets started on her roses, there’s no stopping her. More than just a hobby, roses are Francesca great passion in life. As we stroll around her garden discovering the enchanting nooks she has created, she talks about the wonders of old garden roses. “They have such a strong...
Monica Martí holds degrees in Art History and Technical Agricultural Engineering and has more than 25 years’ experience in landscaping and garden design, into which she pours her soul.
“In my work the most important thing is to empathize with the client, adapt to the architecture and...
Tura Sanz is just 26 years old and looks set to go a long way. She is one of today’s promising young artists on the Empordà’s creative scene, despite only having done one solo exhibition, titled “Plecs”. The exhibition has been on at different gallery spaces, most recently the Museum of...