• HOME
  • BLOG | TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
    • NATURE AND LANDSCAPES
    • HIKING, OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE TRAVEL
    • CITIES, CULTURE AND ART
    • FOOD AND WINE
    • TRAVEL TIPS
  • DESTINATIONS
    • EUROPE
      • AUSTRIA
      • BELGIUM
      • FRANCE
      • GREAT BRITAIN
      • GERMANY
      • GREECE
      • ITALY
      • PORTUGAL
      • SPAIN
      • SWITZERLAND
    • ASIA
      • INDONESIA
      • JAPAN
      • MYANMAR
      • PAKISTAN
    • SOUTH AMERICA
      • ARGENTINA
      • BRAZIL
    • OCEANIA
      • NEW ZEALAND
    • AFRICA
      • GAMBIA
      • SOUTH AFRICA
  • LEARN ITALIAN FAST
  • ABOUT
    • WORK WITH ME
    • CONTACT
  • Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • Twitter

Wild About Travel

Travel Tales by a Travel Addict

  • HOME
  • BLOG | TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
    • NATURE AND LANDSCAPES
    • HIKING, OUTDOORS AND ACTIVE TRAVEL
    • CITIES, CULTURE AND ART
    • FOOD AND WINE
    • TRAVEL TIPS
  • DESTINATIONS
    • EUROPE
      • AUSTRIA
      • BELGIUM
      • FRANCE
      • GREAT BRITAIN
      • GERMANY
      • GREECE
      • ITALY
      • PORTUGAL
      • SPAIN
      • SWITZERLAND
    • ASIA
      • INDONESIA
      • JAPAN
      • MYANMAR
      • PAKISTAN
    • SOUTH AMERICA
      • ARGENTINA
      • BRAZIL
    • OCEANIA
      • NEW ZEALAND
    • AFRICA
      • GAMBIA
      • SOUTH AFRICA
  • LEARN ITALIAN FAST
  • ABOUT
    • WORK WITH ME
    • CONTACT
Home » Blog » Medieval Pals, A Treasure of the Costa Brava
Sculptures-of-Pals-Cathedral

Medieval Pals, A Treasure of the Costa Brava

//  by Simon//  4 Comments

With its narrow alleys, stone arches, ancient facades, nice balconies and old lamps, the medieval town of Pals is one of the treasures of the Costa Brava.

Costa Brava, Pals Narrow Streets

There’s more than just beaches to the Costa Brava. Pretty medieval towns, the Dalì Museums, delicious food and a wonderful vibe

Stretching from the French border towards Barcelona, the Costa Brava was developed in the 1950’s and promoted as a package holiday destination, mostly to tourists from Northern Europe, United Kingdom and France. Thanks to the good climate, nice beaches and great bargains due to a very favourable exchange rate (long before the introduction of Euro), the Costa Brava soon became very popular.

Costa Brava, Pals Stone Arches
But the Costa Brava is more than just beaches. It’s the land of Salvador Dalì (don’t miss a visit to the Casa Museo Dalì in Port Lligat, the Dalì Museum in Figueres and pretty Cadaquès) and home of beautiful hamlets like Pals.

Costa Brava, Pals, Old Street Lamp

Perched atop a hill, Pals exercises an immediate fascination. The houses have been lovingly restored, everything is well-kept and the tiny cobblestone alleys invite to getting lost, letting the eyes wander around to catch the overall beauty first, and then linger on the details.

Costa Brava, Pals, Small Cactus

As I walked up the hill I saw an old local man heading down a narrow street, alone, holding to the rail in the middle since the descent is steep. No trace of tourists in that perfect moment. And a strong feeling of what local life looks like when the visitors leave.

Costa Brava, Pals Cobblestone Alleys Pals, Cathedral

There are many similar villages in Italy, especially in remote areas like the Molise and Basilicata regions. Some of them are home to only a few old local people, since the young ones left to settle in the city, study and hunt a job. Others come to life for a few hours during the day when a handful of tourists come by, and go back to their sleepy atmosphere before the sun sets.

Colourful Pots Pals Pretty Streets
In Pals, beauty is all in the stones. The cobbles of the alleys, the rocks forming arches, the irregular stones in which the houses are built.

Pals, A Beautiful Corner

The cathedral is beautiful in its simplicity: a bare façade, adorned by a carved entrance door. White sculptures standing out against the stone with its warm colour.

Sculptures of Pals Cathedral

Further up the hill, I couldn’t help stopping every few steps to take one more photo, looking at the pretty and tasteful shops, until I reached the top and the medieval Romanesque tower, dating back to the 11th-13th Century.

Costa Brava, Pals Medieval Tower

From above I got a glimpse of the countryside , with the fields making green and yellow geometric patches, reminding how this is a rural area dotted with old farmhouses.

Costa Brava, The Countryside Around Pals Pals, Alleys and Arches
On the way back I took my time to look further at the details, trying to savour every corner of this little town and one of my favourite treasure of the Costa Brava.

Pretty and Funny Sign Pals, Charming Street Lamp

Useful Information

How to get to Pals: the town is about 40 km (25 mi) from Girona and can be reached by car in 1 hour. Alternatively, buses operated by Sarfa connect Pals with Girona, Barcelona and other nearby towns.

Map:

Note: I was invited by the Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona Tourism Board to spend a few nights in a couple of hotels in the region, free to stroll around and explore on my own. As always, opinions and mine only. 

Simon

Travel addict and passionate about photography, Simon Falvo started Wild About Travel back in 2009. Leveraging her strong PR background, she developed an extensive knowledge of Digital Communications and Social Media Marketing. Besides travel writing Simon holds workshops and trainings, she collaborated with tourism boards for digital marketing campaigns and participated as a speaker at several events.

Category: SPAINTag: charming towns, europe

Previous Post: «Mantova-Palazzo-Te-Camera-dei-Giganti-4-1000x666 (1) Mantua and the Magnificent Palazzo del Te: a Must-See for Art Enthusiasts
Next Post: Best of Switzerland: Hiking Along the Wonderful Aletsch Glacier Aletsch Glacier From Belalp»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Muza-chan

    at

    Great photos…

    Reply
  2. Hanna

    at

    The town looks really atmospheric and beautiful. I love the medieval buildings and the small alleys!

    Reply
    • Simon Falvo

      at

      There are plenty of towns like this in Spain, Italy, France and overall in most of Europe. I guess this is why no matter how much and far I travel, I remain a ‘European’ at heart.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Medieval Pals, A Treasure of the Costa Brava | ... says:
    at

    […] Costa Brava is more than just beaches. It's the land of Salvador Dalì, world renowned chefs and home of beautiful hamlets like Pals.  […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

about me

simon-falvo

Hi, I’m Simon!

A solo and independent traveler for over 20 years, and a 50+ girl young at heart.

I worked for over a decade in Investment Banking, then a few years in one of the largest international PR groups. In 2009, after a burn-out, I left the corporate world and started a new adventure.

MORE

book your stay



Booking.com

book a tour / skip the lines

questions about italy?

Send me an e-mail

 

featured posts

Vie di Dante - Views from Dante's Train

Dante’s Train: A Beautiful Train Ride From Faenza To Florence

Ski resorts in Switzerland

Ski Holidays in Switzerland: How to Pick your Ideal Mountain Resort

Portovenere, View on the Gulf

Discover the Best Things to do in Portovenere, Italy

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • About Me
  • Work with Me
  • Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Mai Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.