Girona: here it was...

Archaeological site of Ampurias

MARK ZUCKERBERG, GIRONA

The gossips of Girona say that if you want to make sure you return to the city you have to kiss "the lioness's ass" . That of the Roman sculpture is just one of the many legends that fly over the city, where witches, flies and dragons will lead you to its most secret corners... and also to the fifteen rooms of the Llegendes de Girona Hotel. As its name indicates, the rooms revolve around all these stories of the Gironés imaginary.

But it was not any of them, but other types of curiosities that he sought to satisfy Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg's wife , when choosing the accommodation during her visit to the city (after signing the WhatsApp sale). The name of the chosen suite, pretty daisy , does not correspond either to that of any character in local mythology, but to that of the room made for passion and eroticism with capital letters which ranked 'the boy with a million friends'. And we are not talking about champagne and baths with rose petals. The Movement Bed (with adjustable speed and power) and its ergonomically designed sofa, to let your imagination (and libido) fly until your body (and your neighbors) can't stand it.

Facebook legends and loves

As expected, the amenities are not a hat and a sewing box, but satin ribbons, a feather duster and an eye mask. But not all the virtues of the hotel are inside; its location is also perfect for sightseeing: next to the cathedral, the mythical church of Sant Feliu and overlooking the river Onyar and its colorful facades. And also from River Cafe , a rock-tinged place which, although in a city like Girona does not stand out for the height of its gastronomy, retains original Bruce Springsteen memorabilia and he was chosen for the Zuckerberg dinner (seeing is believing).

Get off the Facebook route and make a reservation at Celler de Can Roca. And if you don't get a table (you wouldn't be the first or the last), option B, more informal and cheaper, is to do it at Occi, an up-to-date Catalan cuisine restaurant with a young and fun atmosphere. As much as the Rocambolesc ice cream, the ice cream parlor of the youngest of the Roca family, with cones decorated with all the toppings in the world and even hot ice cream sandwiches (as you hear it). Authentic lust in two balls.

What else can be written about Celler de Can Roca?

SALVADOR DALI, EMPURIAS

We are not going to discover to you now that the Greeks were very clever guys. But if you have any doubts, all you have to do is go to Ampurias to check the site they chose to found the city of Emporion , in front of the Mediterranean.

Just as gourmets as they (and as Dalí himself, another who fell into their nets) were the first owners of this hostel , built a few meters from the ruins to house the archaeologists who worked at the site at the beginning of the 20th century, under the orders of the architect Puig i Cadafalch . A century later that modest hostel has been reborn, designed for epicureans and has become the modern Hostel Empuries (Platja de Portixol; l'Escala) where everything, from its architecture to what is served on your plate, seeks to make peace with the environment.

So much so, that it is the first European hotel with the “LEED” sustainable architecture certification , which translates into things like that its construction materials could be transformed into raw material in the future, or that the plants that decorate it only feed on rainwater and the natural compost made, from the raw material of the restaurant.

Hostel Empuries

When choosing a room, bring out your most nostalgic side and opt for one of the 34 that housed the team of archaeologists (updated both in decoration and amenities), or opt for one of the 19 new, more contemporary ones. As for views, they all look at the gardens or the sea.

Whether or not you are an obsessive eater, do not forget to make reservations at his restaurant Villa Theresa , where Rafa Peña embroiders everything that goes through his kitchen and the fish (**watch out for the famous anchovies from L'Escala)**, the meat and the vegetables are from local producers. All with a seal of ecological and Mediterranean cultivation. On the table and in the windows.

From here, in addition to visiting the site (there are guided, dramatized and children's tours), walk along the El Portitxol beach , or embark on a tour of the Dalinian Triangle through Figueres, Cadaqués and the castle of Púbol.

The Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres

SERGI AROLA, LLIVIA

Cerdanya Llivia is one of those places that likes to play clueless. Geographically it is in France, but administratively it belongs to the region of La Cerdanya by cause of a border scuffle , in the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659.

The town is tiny, well cared for and next to the large medieval stone mansions , coexist with its modern replicas that are blended in colors and materials and that serve as a refuge for skiers, due to their proximity to the Font Romeu stations, Les Angles, Masella or La Molina . Non-skiers can also do a couple of cultural visits within the town itself: see the remains of one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe, the Steve, from the 15th century, in the municipal museum; or the ruins of its old castle and the Romanesque church of Santa María.

Typical landscape of Baja Cerdanya

What stays small? Always is Puigcerdá, six kilometers away, to stroll around the pond. If you're not lucky enough to own one of the houses, it's best to book at the Bernat de So hotel, where chef Sergi Arola (among others) likes to hang up his jacket and stars for a few days.

A gate hides a beautiful hotel with 21 rooms (our favorite is the one in the tower, overlooking the valley) and a thousand cozy corners , such as its living room with a fireplace or the garden with its heated outdoor pool. To eat? **Choose the Can Ventura restaurant **, in the stables of a mansion from 1791 in the heart of Plaça Major, it serves typical dishes from La Cerdanya, whose greatest exponent is the trintxat , based on cabbage and potatoes, and where the kings Don Juan Carlos and Doña Sofía ate.

The restaurant where you can taste the best trintxat

FROM SHAKIRA TO AL GORE, TORRENT

Empordà The number of souls does not reach 500. In the best of cases. But Torrent has become a pilgrimage destination for refined minds , sybaritic gourmands and, also, very fit travelers, who don't see it at odds that during the day hitting the pedals hard and at night sitting at a good table and sleeping between cottons.

The hub of this pilgrimage is the Mas de Torrent hotel, a restored 18th-century farmhouse that has brought here Kylie Minogue, Andres Velencoso, Al Gore, Shakira and Pique, and half a Barça dressing room. Its rooms decorated with antique furniture and frescoes on the ceilings; its billiard room, its gardens, its swimming pool (for the summer) and its spa (indoor pool included) are some of the reasons that have made this Relais & Châteaux in a true destination in itself.

Girona: here it was...

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