Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain and an historical nationality with an identity and a language of its own. It has a more than millennial history dating back to the Palaeolithic and visible in deposits and caves scattered throughout the territory, which over the centuries has been occupied by the Greeks, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Visigoths and the Arabs. Furthermore it was subjected to dynastic unions and political strategies of monarchs fighting for power. Episodes that have marked the character of entire generations of Catalans, who have never given up easily and have always fought bravely to defend their territory, their culture and their identity.
This strong and independent character has generated a significant revolution in the world of art and architecture, which made it famous throughout the world for the birthplace of great artists such as Gaudí, Dalí and Miró, among others. A brilliant example of this extraordinary cultural renewal is the Catalan modernism, which in architecture reached the peak of its splendour with works of inestimable value that can be appreciated, especially, in the cosmopolitan Barcelona.
But the modernist architecture is not the only characteristic you can see in the Catalan cities; the Roman occupation led to the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, temples, walls and other notable works that the Roman culture left as inheritance to the region, like the archaeological complex of Tarragona, in which it seems to go back in time to the first centuries BC, between invincible emperors and colonies of well-trained legionaries.
Churches, frescoes and monumental sculptures are the clear example of how Romanesque and later Gothic art have brought to the cities a considerable historical and artistic value, clouded over the centuries by social repression, wars and the dictatorship of Franco that have inevitably marked the collective memory of the region.
A profuse presence of museums allows to deepen historical, scientific, artistic, cultural themes in general and even more specific ones such as eroticism or marijuana. But they are not the only reason to visit Catalonia. A varied gastronomy, evocative folk festivals, beaches with transparent water and natural landscapes are just as stimulating to embark on a journey to discover the Catalan territory.
Breathing the smell of the sea, the fresh mountain air, the scent of trees and flowers that give life to parks and gardens in built-up areas is a pleasant sensation that revitalises the human body of the traveler desiring refreshment during his holidays.
It is difficult to establish which are the most beautiful cities in Catalonia, each of them has historical, cultural, environmental, gastronomic characteristics that make them unique and special, but if we were to recommend some where tourists can travel back in time and find themselves walking in an ancient Roman province (read more about Tarragona); or can taste one of the most exquisite gastronomy of the region that uses fresh food from the land and the sea (read more about Girona); or may they feel like a tiny detail carved into a giant masterpiece by the great Gaudí (read more about Barcelona), the choice would fall on: