We drive through the vineyards of the Empordà DO, which stretches from the Pyrenees mountains to the beaches of the Mediterranean, to reach the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. The guide tells us entertaining anecdotes about monks growing wine while we visit the church, the two cloisters and the wine cellar. We end the visit at the bar’s lookout, with bird’s-eye views over Port de la Selva and a taste of that wine shaped by the Tramuntana. On the beautiful roads that cross the Cap de Creus Natural Park, we reach the Dalí house in Portlligat, nestled between a white-washed hamlet at the foot of a cove where small fishing boats dock. This house, which Dalí converted into a studio, was a meeting place for many artists and intellectuals of that era, such as his filmmaker friend Buñuel and poet García Lorca. We decide to stop for lunch in Cadaqués, one of those perfect postcard villages on the Catalan coast. Its narrow, steep old town is an invitation to enjoy a calm stroll accompanied by the murmur of the sea.

The route continues south, along the Bay of Roses, part of the club of the world’s most beautiful bays, and crossing the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà Natural Park, one of Catalonia’s most varied natural areas. We dedicate the afternoon to history because we want to see the Empúries Ruins, the location where the Greeks and Romans entered the peninsula. We choose a guided tour specialising in the trade and consumption of wine in the ancient world. The privileged location of the ruins, at the foot of the beach, allows us to do something unusual: swim by the pier where the Greek boats docked twenty-five centuries ago. Just six kilometres south of the archaeological site is L’Escala, an official Marine Village because of its historic connection to the sea, where we visited the Anchovy and Salt Museum to learn about the work of the salt curing factories that brought so much prosperity to the town. And of course, we sample the famous L’Escala anchovies in one of the old town’s traditional taverns.

Since we are in the lands of Apples of Girona (PGI), we continue to Palau Sator to visit a cider shop where we buy different products made from those apples. Not just the most obvious, cider, but also juices, jams and vinegar. The route approaches the coastline to the Begur coves, another of the towns on the list of Marine Districts and Villages. No one has captured the Empordà districts better than the writer Josep Pla. If we are interested in his literature and his landscapes, we should head to Palafrugell, where the Josep Pla Foundation is located, and Calella de Palafrugell, Charming Village, to explore the writer’s childhood landscapes, as he spent his summers at the family home on Canadell Beach.

We continue to Palamós as we have signed up to one of the cooking workshops at the Espai del Peix. In this dining room, we take a historical and cultural tour of fish consumption and learn how to cook several dishes from what is known as “boat cooking”, created by fishermen. One of the dishes we prepare must include Pals rice and Palamós shrimp. With boats coming in to port to take their catch to the market, which you can also visit to follow the bidding live, we head to the Brugarol bodega near Palamós, which stands out for its architecture in addition to its wines, as it was designed by the RCR studio in the town of Olot, winners of the prestigious Pritzker Prize.

Without leaving the coast, we take a short detour along the way to reach Lloret de Mar and visit the Santa Clotilde Gardens, planted on an impressive bluff overlooking the sea. Landscaper and architect Nicolau Rudó was inspired by the Italian Renaissance when he designed this beautiful space. On the seafront staircase flanked by statues of sirens, we cannot stop taking photos to post on social media. In Blanes we find Marimurtra which is another important garden. This botanical garden, where important scientific studies are carried out, was founded by the German Carl Faust. The temple overlooking the cove of Sa Farconera is one of the most photographed places on the Costa Brava. We head inland and to the north towards Girona, an official City with Character. We choose to explore the city through its flavours, taking a gastronomic tour. As well as strolling through its architectural heritage, such as the Cathedral, the Jewish Quarter and the colourful houses on the River Onyar, we taste the xuixo de crema, the brunyols, regional cheeses with pa amb tomàquet and olive oil, fideuà and ice cream made by one of the Roca brothers, among other delicious snacks. Our favourite part is that we are visiting places that the locals love.

For golf lovers, there is the option of visiting the PGA Catalunya Resort, with a golf course in a beautiful landscape, but instead we choose to drive along the roads that take us to La Garrotxa in the south, a district marked by its volcanoes and lava-covered landscapes. We spend the afternoon at Hostalets d’en Bas, one of the beautiful villages of the Vall d’En Bas. This municipality, which comprises several small towns, cradles the Fluvià River, the mouth of which we crossed a couple of days before when we passed through the Bay of Roses.

The road between Rupit and Manlleu crosses the Collsacabra, and taking a detour of just ten kilometres we reach Tavertet, where an easy hike brings us spectacular views of the cliffs from which the village takes its name and the Sau reservoir, fed by the Ter River, at the foot of the Guilleries mountain range and surrounded by forests of exotic pines and fir trees. In Manlleu, a city shaped by the River Ter both in terms of its terrain and its industrial past, we enjoy a very interesting dramatized tour. Assumpta, one of the “Spirits of the Ter”, tells us about the importance of the industrial colonies that were established along the river for the development of Catalonia, mainly related to the work of processing cotton into yarn to serve the textile industries.

Our next stop is Vic. Its Plaça Major is one of the most iconic of the Catalan districts, a monumental porticoed square that is always busy during the weekly market. After the guided tour of the city, where we see an outstanding Roman Temple, the cathedral and the streets that formed part of the Jewish Quarter, we entered a century-old drier to try out the famous Vic sausages, the llonganissa and the fuet. We spend the afternoon getting to know the legends of witches and outlaws at the Espai Montseny de Viladrau, an interpretive centre for the Montseny Natural Park, and hiking along a circular route that runs through the heart of the mountain range. This Biosphere Reserve offers landscapes featuring beech, fir and oak forests; we can encounter sequoias like those of Can Casades, or see the riverbank flora alongside the rivers that cross the park. The views from any of Montseny’s iconic peaks are well worth a visit if you have the time to make the climb. We certainly need to return in autumn when the leaves form a beautiful tapestry in the undergrowth and Viladrau holds the Chestnut Fair.

We continue to the Domènech i Montaner House-Museum, former home of one of the great modernist architects, in Canet de Mar. It is wonderful to see the models for some of his most iconic works, such as the Palau de la Música or the Hospital de Sant Pau. In one of the village cafés, we try “vidrieres modernistes”, or “stained glass”, a type of unusual tea biscuit born of the initiative of local pastry makers. We continue to Arenys de Mar, the other Marine Village of the Maresme coast. In its fishing port, one of Catalonia’s most important, a picturesque auction is held every afternoon where we can see the prized prawns that will later be on the menus of major restaurants. At Arenys de Mar we see a curious kind of modernism, at the Sinera cemetery, a place Salvador Espriu immortalised in his poetry. If you are looking for another view of the town, the port starts off with boats that offer guided tours through the natural environment to enjoy the landscape, the seabed, and the pelagic birds. There is also the chance to do some night boating, watch the stars and hear mythological stories.

The tale of the entrepreneurs who made their fortune in the textile industry, as we saw on the visit to the Ter colonies, is reflected in houses like the Coll i Regàs in Mataró, our next stop. In the district capital, we also visit the Nau Gaudí, the architect’s first work which has now been converted into a contemporary art museum. We spend part of the afternoon shopping, not forgetting a few boxes of neules, a crunchy dessert typically eaten at Christmas, both plain and filled with Catalan cream and catanies chocolate almonds.

Before we head to Barcelona, where we plan to spend the night, we stop at Alella for a visit to a wine cellar, where we open a natural pink Cava that pairs perfectly with the Vallalta strawberries. The wines of Alella, mentioned by Pliny the Elder as “Laletanum wines” in Roman times, come from small vineyards overlooking the sea. Two other interesting attractions in the area are the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which offers various experiences related high speed racing and hosts one of the world’s most important motorbike events, and La Roca Village, with more than 140 open-air boutiques of national and international luxury brands with savings of up to 60% on the original price, throughout the year, and only 40 minutes from Barcelona. We enter Barcelona, the final point on this stretch of the Grand Tour of Catalonia.

We continue with a workshop to learn the technique for making trencadís, one of the characteristic ornamental features of modernism. With basic tools, shards of ceramics and glass we leave with our own piece and great ideas for recycling old building materials. In another modernist building on the Passeig de Gràcia, we attend a cookery workshop where we learn how to prepare dishes such as esqueixada, a traditional salad with cod and tomato among other ingredients, and a delicious crema catalana with its top layer of burnt sugar.

Having tried the dishes we prepared, it is time for a good walk. We opt for a literary route and are given a choice of viewing settings from The Shadow of the Wind or Cathedral of the Sea. We go for the second option so we can visit the Santa María del Mar basilica in the Born district, and then continue in a leisurely fashion through this lively neighbourhood, where there are plenty of options to enjoy tapas and a glass of wine.

We’ve got a date at the market, so let’s pick up the hand-made palm frond baskets we bought the day before at one of the shops in the Born district and get ready to let ourselves be advised by our guide on buying the freshest produce, with which we will prepare dishes at a cookery workshop. After enjoying the seafood paella we cook, and taking notes on every step of the recipe so we can repeat our success at home, we head to the fishermen’s guild to see the arrival of the fishing boats and witness the bidding at the auction. It is interesting to see how fishing has survived in such a large metropolis, thanks to a guild that can serve fresh fish to meet the high demand of the Barceloneta restaurants.

We end the day as we started it, by the sea, but this time aboard a catamaran to watch the sunset. Soon after leaving port, they unfurl the sails and shut off the engines. After sailing for a moment, and without losing sight of Barcelona, they stop the boat and invite us to take a swim in the Mediterranean; an invitation we are sure to accept. Back on board, we are served an aperitif of seasonal fruit and a glass of Cava, finishing up a great trip as the sun sets behind the Collserola Mountains.