Day 7 – Ancient Besalú, artistic Figueres and the Salvador Dalí Museum
This morning, you visit the spectacular historic town of Besalú,
an incredibly well-preserved medieval town at the foot of the
volcanic Garrotxa Natural Park. Once a town of huge importance and
the capital of an independent state, its cobbled streets and
sand-coloured huddle of buildings still burst with charm and
history. Accessed by the remarkable bending 12th-century Romanesque
bridge that features a gateway halfway across, you enter a stunning
town of ancient buildings, pretty squares and narrow and arcaded
cobblestone alleys. You have a free morning to explore this
enchanting town before boarding a coach to Figueres.
The first port of call in Figueres is the largest surrealistic
object in the world - the Dalí Theatre-Museum. This joyous pink
building, decorated with golden representations of bread rolls and
topped by a series of giant eggs, contains the largest collection
of Salvador Dalí's works in the world, as well as pieces by El
Greco and Marcel Duchamp. Dalí was born in Figueres in 1904 and the
renowned artist became one of the best-known figures of the
Surrealism movement in the late 1920s. An iconic painter and
sculptor, his most famous work, the 'Persistence of Memory',
depicts melting clocks with a background inspired by the coastline
near Figueres.
After a visit to the museum, there is time to wander round
Figueres, a classic Catalan town with an impressive 11th-century
church at its heart. The sheltered lanes of the town centre are
buzzing with cafés, tapas bars and gelaterias, and open on to
picturesque squares. The sprawling Sant Ferran Castle is the
largest 18th-century bastioned fortress in Europe and rests on a
hilltop near to the town, providing excellent views of the area, as
well as interesting information on the area's military history.
Includes