Sant Sebastià de la Guarda

Llafranc (Catalan pronunciation: [ʎəˈfɾaŋ]) is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of Palafrugell, province of Girona, Spain, the other two being Calella de Palafrugell and Tamariu. It is part of the Costa Brava, the coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, in the comarca of Baix Empordà.Many domestic tourists come from nearby Barcelona, while the international tourists come from a whole range of countries, especially the Netherlands, England, France, and more recently the United States. The Hotel Llafranc dominates the main sea promenade and was popular with artists such as Rock Hudson, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Salvador Dalí and Ernest Hemingway. The English writer Tom Sharpe was also a resident of Llafranc.The town is overlooked by the historical site of Sant Sebastià de la Guarda, located on a headland 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) to the north, and 168 metres (551 ft) above, Llafranc beach. It comprises the ruins of a settlement of the Iberians from the 6th-1st centuries BCE, a 15th-century watchtower and the 19th century Sant Sebastià lighthouse. The lighthouse, which is still operational, has a range of 32 nautical miles (59 km; 37 mi) and is the most powerful on the Catalan coast. The residential district of El Far, which takes its name from the lighthouse, lies below the headland.The GR 92 long distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, passes through the town. To the north the path follows the road up to the lighthouse and then uses an in places rough, track above the shore line to the beach at Cala Pedrosa and the town of Tamariu. To the south the path follows the coast the short distance to Calella de Palafrugell, passing the 16th century Torre de Calella on the way.Commerce and civic organizations gather under the Associació d'Amics de Llafranc, which elects a president every 4 years in order to represent this small town in the City Council of Palafrugell, its main municipality.

Calella de Palafrugell is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of Palafrugell in the province of Girona, Spain. The other two towns are Llafranc, only one kilometre (0.62 mi) to the north, and Tamariu, some four kilometres (2.5 mi) to the north. All three towns are part of the Costa Brava, the coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, in the comarca of Baix Empordà. It should not be confused with the larger, more commercialised resort of Calella, which is further south towards Barcelona, in the comarca of Maresme.Calella de Palafrugell has an excellent setting and, whilst busy in the summer season, it does not have the large hotels and mass tourism of other Costa Brava resorts such as Lloret de Mar. The town has a number of good standard hotels, apartments and, at a distance from the beach, some campsites. Like much of the picturesque section of the Costa Brava, north of Palamos and south of L'Estartit, Calella has moved steadily upmarket in recent times and offers some very high quality restaurants and hotels - at prices to match. The beaches are Blue Flag standard. Calella de Palafrugell is a very popular destination dominated by apartments blocks set just back enough not to be seen from the beach.The town's origin is that of a fishing village, and its old maritime quarter, the Port Bo has been declared a cultural asset of national importance. This quarter retains the original layout of the village, with its traditional white porched buildings. It includes the complex of vaults, originally used to sew nets and auction fish, but now occupied by restaurants. The vaults are fronted by the beaches of Platja del Port de Malaspina and Platja de Portbò, which formed a natural fishing port and are still home to a fleet of small fishing boats. Also in Port Bo is the Sa Perola Interpretation Centre, housed in a former net dyeing house and now used as a tourist office and interpretation centre for the fishing industry and maritime heritage of the district.Calella de Palafrugell has a number of small coves and beaches linked via a well engineered coastal walk known as the Cami de Ronda, passing along the cliffs and through several tunnels on the way. From the north the first of the beaches is Platja del Canadell, with its beach restaurant. Platja del Port de Malaspina, Platja de Portbò and Platja d'en Calau are linked sandy coves located in the centre of Calella. These are followed by Platgeta d'en Cosme, Platje de Port Pelegri, Platja de Sant Roc and Platja del Golfet, the last of which is approximately 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from central Calella.Beyond Platja del Golfet is the Cap Roig headland, where the Castell de Cap Roig is situated, surrounded by large botanical gardens. The castle has also been declared a cultural asset of national importance. The castle was built, and the gardens created, between 1929 and 1975, by Nicholas Woevodski and Dorothy Webster. The Cap Roig Festival, a music and dance festival, is held in the gardens between July and August.The GR 92 long-distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, passes along the Cami de Ronda. To the north of Platja del Canadell the path follows the coast the short distance to Llafranc, passing the 16th century Torre de Calella on the way. To the south the path takes an inland route from Platja del Golfet, bypassing Cap Roig through pine and cork oak forests to the fisherman's village at S'Alguer and the beach at La Fosca.

Tamariu (Catalan pronunciation: [təməˈɾiw], Catalan for tamarisk) is one of three coastal towns belonging to the municipality of Palafrugell, province of Girona, Spain, the other two being Calella de Palafrugell and Llafranc. It is part of the Costa Brava, the coastal region of northeastern Catalonia, in the comarca of Baix Empordà. It is situated about 70 mi (110 km) south of the border with France and close to the nearby inland towns of Palafrugell and Begur.The name Tamariu derives from the presence of many tamarisk trees along the promenade, which separates the beach from the narrow streets and whitewashed buildings of the town. Tamariu was originally a small fishing village, and fishing boats are still to be seen drawn up on the beach. Today they have been joined by a few hotels, along with seafood restaurants, cafes and bars.Tamariu is set amongst rugged pine covered cliffs flanking the Mediterranean Sea. The crystal clear waters around this area are amongst the purest on the coast. The south-facing blue flag beach is ideal for swimming as the it shelves at a fairly gentle angle. It is also popular as a dive site as there are many caves to explore along with the submerged mountain of the Llosa de Cala Nova.The GR 92 long distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, passes through the town. To the north the path takes an inland route through pine and cork oak forests to the beach at Aiguablava before following the coast to Fornells. To the south the path follows an, in places rough, track above the shore line to the beach at Cala Pedrosa, the Sant Sebastià lighthouse, and the town of Llafranc.Aigua Gelida is the largest urbanisation in Tamariu filling the gap between Tamariu and Aiguablava. Aigua Gelida has a small sandy cove predominantly for residents of Cala Nostra just 300m away. Building restrictions are not as strict in Aigua Gelida and so many modern villas have been built in the past few years.

The Formigues Islands (Catalan: Illes Formigues, Spanish: Islas Formigues) is an archipelago consisting of 16 small islands located three miles (4.8 km)from the port of Palamós, Girona Province, Catalonia, Spain. They lie facing the beach of Calella and Cap Roig. A lighthouse is located on the island of Formiga Gran (41º53'N 03º11'E). The islands are sometimes covered by waves when the sea is rough. The name of the islands is derived from the Catalan word for “ant,” referring to their size. Administratively, they are divided between the municipalities of Palamós and Palafrugell.The depths around the Formigues vary from 9 metres (30 feet) deep to more than 45 metres (148 feet) deep. The islands consist mostly of calcareous rock, with various caves and crags filled with rich marine vegetation, especially multicolored sea fans. The Battle of Les Formigues took place in the islands in 1285. The Spanish Ministry of the Natural, Rural and Marine Environment planned to declare the islands a nature reserve in 2009, prohibiting fishing in a designated area of 420 hectares. However, this was halted due to budgetary concerns.

The Cala d'Aiguablava is a small bay on the Costa Brava, Girona, Catalonia (Spain) near Begur and Palafrugell with a small beach (busy in the summer months) and a few mainly seafood restaurants. It is a popular mooring place for sailing and motor boats. Overlooking the bay on one side is a large parador, the Parador De Aiguablava, situated high on a clifftop.The GR 92 long distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, crosses the beach. To the north the path follows the incised coastline to the village of Fornells, on the other side of the bay, whilst to the south it follows an inland route through pine and cork oak forests to the resort of Tamariu.

Fornells de Mar (zipcode 17255), also known as Platja de Fornells or simply Fornells, is a village, bay and port on the Costa Brava and in the municipality of Begur, Catalonia, Spain. It lies between Sa Tuna and Tamariu. It was formerly mainly a fishing village and there is still some fishing activity.Fornells is the site of the Port d'Aiguablava, a marina with 61 moorings operated by the Club Nàutic Aiguablava. Within Fornells itself there are, from north to south, the larger beach of Platja Fonda, and the smaller coves of Cala n’Estasia, Cala Port de ses Orats, Cala d’en Malaret and Cala Port d’Esclanyà. Further to the south lies the beach of Cala d'Aiguablava. There are several hotels in Fornells village, including the large Hotel Aigua Blava.The GR 92 long distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain, passes through the village. To the north the path follows the incised coastline to near Platja Fonda before heading inland towards Sa Tuna and Begur. To the south it follows the coastline to the beach at Aiguablava before following an inland route through pine and cork oak forests to the resort of Tamariu.The Torras i Arruga family has several luxury estates around the Platja Fonda.

Can Mario Museum is the Fundació Vila Casas Museum of Contemporary Sculpture in Palafrugell (Costa Brava). It was opened in 2004. It has around 220 works on show dating from the 1960s to the present day by a wide range of artists born or living in Catalonia. Temporary exhibitions are also held every year. Temporary exhibitions are organised every year. Can Mario was a cork factory dating from the early 20th century and was one of the buildings of the Miquel & Vincke cork company. Today it is a place for contemplating art situated in the Plaça de Can Mario, where we can also find a modernista water tower and the Cork Museum.Since April 2011, 33 sculptures by artists from the Empordà region of Catalonia have been placed in the Gardens of Can Mario, as permanent, open air exhibits. In October of the same year the Empordà Gallery was opened in the Museum, for holding temporary exhibitions of artists from the region.

The Centre Fraternal is a casino and cultural center placed in Palafrugell (Baix Empordà) active since 1887. It is placed in a nineteenth-century building which, protected as Local Cultural Interest Heritage building.

The naval Battle of Les Formigues (Catalan) took place probably in the early morning of 4 September 1285 near Les Formigues Islands, Catalonia, about 85 km northeast of Barcelona, when a Catalan-Sicilian galley fleet commanded by Roger of Lauria defeated a French and Genoese galley fleet commanded by Guilhem de Lodeva, Henry di Mari, and John de Orrea. There are three almost completely different accounts of this battle: from Ramon Muntaner, Bernard Desclot, and the Gesta comitum Barchinonensium. The Gesta places the battle at Les Formigues (or Fomigas), while Muntaner favoured a location off Roses to the north. Either Lauria or the French were ashore for the night and encountered by the other, or they were both at sea when the encounter took place. The accounts agree that it happened at night, which was unusual for medieval naval battles, but suited Lauria who was skilled at night-fighting. He used two lanterns on each galley to increase his apparent numbers. Ten to sixteen Genoese galleys under John de Orreo fled, leaving about fifteen to twenty French galleys to be captured, and some others sunk or burnt.The troubadour Joan Esteve blamed treachery for the capture of the French admiral Guilhem. It is said that three hundred French prisoners were sent back to France. All of the prisoners but one had their eyes gouged out, and that one was left with one eye to guide the others. The prisoners brought one message from Roger of Lauria to the King of France: that not even fish would be able to navigate safely through Mediterranean Sea without a shield or sign of the king of Aragon on them.

Castell de la Fosca or Punta del Castell is an ancient Iberian settlement or oppidum sited on a rocky promontory at the north end of the beach called Platja de Castell, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) ENE of Palamós (Baix Empordà), on the Costa Brava. The settlement, which seems to have been inhabited from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD, was protected by a wall and two square towers. Archaeologists, first in the 1930s and 1940s, and now in a series of excavations begun in 2001, have discovered 64 storage pits and two water cisterns, as well as pottery, amphorae (both locally made and imported), millstones, weights for fishing nets, lamps, agricultural tools and surgical instruments, coins, pieces of bronze, Iberian inscriptions, and the bases of two columns.