Vila Vella, Tossa de Mar

About this place

The Vila Vella, the «old town», is the walled historic quarter of Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava in the province of Girona, Catalonia, about 31 km southeast of Girona and 73 km northeast of Barcelona in a straight line. People have lived in the area since the Neolithic, followed by Iberians and Romans. In the 12th century the town was walled and a castle was built on the highest point of Mount Guardí; it was later replaced by a windmill, and then by a lighthouse that still works. The town's economy was long based on vineyards and cork rather than fishing. The stone walls with round towers wrap around the rocky headland above the main beach, hiding narrow cobbled lanes and stone houses decked with flowers. Below the walls a crescent of golden sand lined with fishing boats meets clear turquoise water. Visitors enter through the gate in the walls, climb the lanes to the lighthouse and walk the ramparts for views over the bay. They swim at the beach below, and early morning is the quietest time before the summer crowds.