La Garrotxa Comarca in Girona
Volcà de Santa Margarida © Laureà
La Garrotxa is one of the greenest and most quietly dramatic regions in northern Catalonia. Situated just north of Barcelona, in the province of Girona, this compact area reveals a dense mosaic of volcanic cones, beech forests, medieval villages, and lava-strewn paths. Distances are short, but the diversity is impressive.
We explored the volcanic area around Olot, where we stayed at Les Cols Pavellons, using the town as a peaceful base for slow, leisurely days. La Garrotxa is home to about forty dormant volcanoes, the most striking being Volcà de Santa Margarida and Croscat, whose rugged shapes remain clearly visible in the landscape. The terrain feels gentle underfoot, shaped more by moss and trees than by fire, yet the geology is always present.
One of the most striking sights is Castellfollit de la Roca, an impossibly narrow medieval town dramatically perched atop a fifty-metre-high basalt cliff, nearly a kilometre long. Formed by ancient lava flows and carved by the Fluvià and Toronell rivers, the setting feels like a model placed at the edge of the world.
Nearby, the Santa Pau old town reveals a beautifully preserved medieval core. Once a small Jewish settlement dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, it wraps tightly around a central square, overlooked by a now-abandoned castle.
In contrast, the Fageda d'en Jordà offers a gentler experience. This low-lying beech forest, growing improbably on volcanic soil, is quiet and enveloping, its paths soft with leaves and filtered light. It’s the kind of place that slows your pace without asking.
Fageda d'en Jordà © maymoron
Further afield, Besalú, one of the region’s most iconic scenes. Its 12th-century Romanesque bridge arcs confidently over the Fluvià River, leading into a town known for its restored Miqvé, or Jewish ritual bath, one of the few remaining in Europe.
Architecture and landscape blend seamlessly at Parc de Pedra Tosca, a striking intervention by RCR Arquitectes. Here, volcanic stone mounds are subtly arranged with rusted steel plates, forming a contemplative pathway that threads through the lava fields toward the Les Preses Volcano Park.
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