10 ESSENCE OF OLOT

1. VOLCANO MONTSACOPA

The volcano Montsacopa is one of the emblems of the city of Olot. From the summit of this scoria cone, topped off by a circular crater, there are wonderful 360ยบ views over the city below and the county of La Garrotxa.

PLACES OF INTEREST The former quarries: thanks to these abandoned quarries we can now see how the different layers of volcanic material (lapilli) were laid down.

The crater: walk down into the crater, formed during the final explosive phase of the volcanic eruption.

The Carline watchtowers: climb up the two watchtowers that offer spectacular views north to the Alta Garrotxa and the mountain of El Canigรณ.

Church of Sant Francesc: enter this fortified church for further excellent views over the city of Olot.

Memorial of the Spanish Civil War: a reminder of all the victims of the Spanish Civil War located in the cemetery situated at the base of the volcano.

IDEA

DISTANCE: 2 km

time: 45 min

CLIMB: 100 m

We suggest a walk up to the top of the volcano. This easy circular itinerary climbs up the steps on one flank of the volcano and descends down a gentle road on the other side.

STARTING POINT CAR PARK NEXT TO OLOT MUNICIPAL CEMETERY N 42ยบ 11.511 / E002ยบ 29.137

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2. OLD TOWN

The medieval city of Olot grew up in the ninth century around the Romanesque church that existed where today stands the sanctuary of El Tura. The earthquakes of the fifteenth century destroyed much of the old town, which was then largely reconstructed outside the old city walls with all the streets converging onto the main square, La Plaça Major.

Today, the old town is also the commercial heart of the city, where you will find shops that opened their doors over a hundred years ago, as well as modern brand stores and chains. This too is where most of the city’s cultural and festive activities take place, the most important of which are the “Festes del Tura” (the city’s most celebrated festivities, which take place around 8 September, and which have been declared Traditional Festivities of National Interest), the Fair of St Lluc (St Luke) (a fair dating back 700 years that takes place around 18 October), the Art Fair (18 October), Lluèrnia (a festival of fire and light) and the Shopping Night (the city’s great commercial festivity, which takes place in mid-June).

PLACES OF INTEREST The Hospici: this building was designed by Ventura Rodríguez at the end of the eighteenth century and was to be used for charitable purposes. Since then it has had many uses: market, art school, museum. Of great interest is the threestoried neo-classical cloister.

Church of La Mare de Déu del Tura, patron of Olot: according to a tradition dating from the fifteenth century, an ox would go and scrape at the ground at the same place every day. On seeing this, the animal’s owner decided to dig up the place and found an image of the Mother of God. The current name of the church (“tura” in old Catalan means ox) originates from this legend.

Cloister of El Carme: a site of National Cultural Interest, this building was designed by Llàtzer Cisterna (C. 16) and is one of the few surviving Renaissance cloisters in Catalonia. It is two-storied and has an irregular four-sided floor plan that follows the traditional order of capitols and friezes.

Sant Esteve Parish Church: the current building dates from the 1763 and was designed by Blai de Trincheria. In the church’s Treasure there is an original El Greco, Christ carrying the Cross.

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3. ART NOUVEAU

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A stroll through the centre of Olot will take you back to the beginning of the twentieth century, when the city’s first urban plan was drawn up under the orders of Alfred Paluzie, Olot’s municipal architect. He introduced the ideas and principals of Art Nouveau, which he had learnt during his time in Barcelona.

PLACES OF INTEREST Casa Pujador (Plaça del Conill): designed in 1911 by Josep Azemar. The façade of this house is stone clad and has a rounded corner topped by a cylindrical tower.

Casa Escubós (Plaça del Conill): designed by Paluzie in 1905. Of interest is the ornamentation that adorns the doors and windows.

Lateral façade of the church of Sant Esteve: the work of Sureda in 1905, adorned in yellow tiles decorated with green crosses.

Casa Gaietà Vila (Plaça d’Esteve Ferrer): designed by Paluzie in 1905. On this house look out for the capitols with floral motifs, the wrought-ironwork and the decorated ceramic tiles.

Casa Solà-Morales (Passeig de Miquel Blay): Lluís Domènech i Montaner undertook the reform (1913) of the façade of this house in order to join two houses in a single building. The two sculpted caryatids are the work of the sculptor Eusebi Arnau.

Casa Gassiot (Carrer de Sant Rafel): designed by Paluzie in 1911. The ornamentation of the main façade is characterized by the sinuous lines – the famous coup de fouet – of the balconies and the large sculpted allegory that reflects the work of the house’s owner.

Museum of La Garrotxa: this museum houses the famous painting The Charge by Ramon Casas and an exhibition of the original Art Nouveau posters for Cigarrillos París. The sculptor Miquel Blay is another Art Nouveau artist whose works are to be found in this museum.

IDEA

DISTANCE: 2 km

time: 30 min

CLIMB: - - m

A gentle walk through the old town of Olot: Carrer Major, Passeig de Miquel Blay and, finally, Carrer de Sant Rafel.

STARTING POINT OLOT TOURIST OFFICE N 42º 10.872 / E002º 29.265

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4. MUSEUMS

Olot is a city of artists and its museums help explain the story of the county of La Garrotxa from a number of different points of view: art and landscape, science and nature, and craft and local traditions.

One of the most notable events in the city’s history was the creation in 1783 of the School of Art, which gave rise to an artistic tradition that has influenced the city’s cultural and industrial life ever since.

PLACES OF INTEREST Volcano Museum: find out why La Garrotxa has so many volcanoes and how they were constructed. Relive the earthquakes that destroyed most of the City of Olot in the fifteenth century with the earthquake simulator.

30-40-minute visit.

Museum of Saints: find out about the famous Olot tradition of La Faràndula and the how the local craftsmen produce the religious images in the workshop created in 1880. 30-40-minute visit.

Museum of La Garrotxa: enjoy first-hand works of art from the Olot School of Landscape Painting by artists such as Joaquim and Marian Vayreda, and Josep Berga i Boix, as well as work by sculptors such as Clarà, Blay and Leonci Quera. Of exceptional interest is the famous picture The Charge by Ramon Casas, as well as the collection of Art Nouveau posters advertising the Cigarrillos París brand of cigarettes. 30-60-minute visit.

Museum House Can Trincheria: a trip back in time to the ways of life of the eighteenth century in this well-preserved, grandiose town house in the heart of Olot. 20-30-minute visit.

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5. MOIXINA AND THE PARC NOU

These two natural areas are characterized by their oak woods, relicts of the forests that would have once covered the whole of the Olot basin. They boast an understorey of rare plants that are extremely rare on the south side of the Pyrenees. These woods also inspired many of the painters from the Olot Landscape School of Art. PLACES OF INTEREST Chapel of La Mare de Déu de la Salut de la Moixina: burned down in 1936 and reconstructed in 1942 thanks to donations made by artists from Olot.

The natural springs of La Moixina and Bufaganyes: two features that have been declared Sites of Local Cultural Interest due to their historical, scenic and popular interest.

The marshy woodland: charming area of woods where water-loving plants and many species of birds thrive.

The monumental trees of Parc Nou: English oaks, box and holly trees.

IDEA

DISTANCE: 4 km

time: 1 h

CLIMB: - - m

A stroll to some of these places of great geobotanical significance. A great chance to take photographs of the shady verdant landscapes of La Moixina. Other interesting walks can be found by following the Itinerànnia network of footpaths. www.itinerannia.net

STARTING POINT PARC NOU CAR PARK N 42º 10.337 / E002º 28.772

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6. BATET AND LA FAGEDA

This walk takes us over the lava flow that was emitted by the volcano Croscat, home to the famous beech forest of La Fageda d’en Jordà, and up on to the basalt plateau of Batet. This peaceful landscape so captivated the film director Fernando Trueba that he decided that it was a perfect setting for his recent film The Artist and the Model.

PLACES OF INTEREST Old trail to Batet: the human influence on the landscape in the form of walls of basaltic stone and small cultivated terraces is here obvious. The high Pyrenees provide a splendid panoramic backdrop.

La Fageda d’en Jordà: the famous beech forest, with volcanic “blisters”: these hummocks formed when Croscat’s lava flow ran over a marshy area and evaporated the water present, the resulting gases then deformed the surface crust of the lava as they rose.

La Moixina: enjoy this shady woodland where water is an ever-present feature.

IDEA

DISTANCE: 12 km

time: 3-4 h

CLIMB: 300 m

A great circular walk, of low-moderate difficulty. Completely waymarked as part of the Itinerànnia network of footpaths. www.itinerannia.net

STARTING POINT OLOT BUS-STATION CAR PARK N 42º 10.847 / E002º 29.568

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7. VIA VERDA

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Olot is a city made for just strolling around and for discovering its charming backstreets; it is also an excellent starting point for numerous country walks in La Garrotxa.

However, another way of getting to know La Garrotxa is by bike and one of the best bike rides in the area is the Via Verda, a cycle lane that follows the route of the railway line that once connected Olot to Girona.

A bike is the best way of reliving the experience of travelling by the narrow-gauge railway that ran from Olot to Girona, just as people did over 100 years ago.

PLACES OF INTEREST The old train station in Olot: the line was inaugurated the day the first train arrived in Olot on 14 November 1911 and continued in service until 1969.

Monument to the vanquished: a memorial of the Spanish Civil War by Claudi Casanovas.

The natural springs of Sant Roc: this natural area with its cooling springs and the river Fluvià lies within the city itself.

Tossols: these volcanic “blisters” were formed by the interaction of the lava flows and the marshy land they ran over.

Panoramas: enjoy the picture-postcard landscapes of La Vall d’en Bas, the mountain of Puigsacalm and, above all, the volcano of Montsacopa.

IDEA

DISTANCE: 14 km

time: 2-3 h

CLIMB: 75 m

Here we suggest an easy circular bike route that combines stretches of the Via Verda cycle path – the 54-km trail that links Olot and Girona along the old train line – and quiet back roads in a route that passes through some of the best landscapes in the Olot area.

STARTING POINT THE OLD TRAIN STATION IN OLOT N 42º 10.512 / E002º 28.801

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www.viesverdes.org

8. RCR Architects

Rafael Aranda, Carme Pigem and Ramon Vilalta have worked as architects since 1987 and together in their home town of Olot since 1988 under the joint name of RCR Arquitectes. RCR Arquitectes are honarary members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), honarary members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Knights of the Order of Arts and Letters awarded by the French government, as well as being holders of Catalan National Cultural Prize awarded by the Catalan government (Generalitat de Catalunya). Their work is characterized by its interaction with its surroundings and the way in which it blends in with its surroundings.

PLACES OF INTEREST Tossols-Basil athletics track: this track lies in a large clearing in an English oak forest that its presence highlights the views of the surrounding forest. The forest is ever-present in and around the track and the rows of banking for spectators stand out as small terraces and banks i and amongst the forest clearings.

The bathing station: “From the plane-tree plantation to the river with its vigorous poplars, the hills slope down to be part of the bathing station” www.lescols.com Pedra Tosca Park: a project aimed at restoring the fields that were hewn out of the local “tossols” (natural basalt hummocks); the park’s surprising point of access leads to a variety of walks allowing visitors to discover this singular landscape.

El Firalet: a public space whose basalt paving recreates the form of the lava flow emitted by the volcano Montsacopa and whose shapes and forms create a single geometry out of the urban furniture and the street lighting.

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9. LOCAL PRODUCTS

Olot is well known for its establishments that sell and produce their own homemade foodstuffs. These products are unique – just like the landscape that surrounds the city – and here we describe five in greater detail: Ratafia: a sweet herbal liquor with digestive properties made from eau de vie, green walnuts, herbs and spices.

“Coca de llardons” and “tortell de matafaluga”: traditional cakes that combine sweet and savoury whose recipes have been handed down from parents to children for generations.

Charcuterie from Olot: for example, “llonganissa”, “baiona” and “botifarra d’ou”, all made with fresh pork meat and of which the best loved is the “fuet” (a thin dried sausage).

Olot “potatoes”: this creation has become one of the best-loved products of Olot’s volcanic cuisine. These “potatoes” consist of wafers of potato stuffed with meat, covered in egg and flour, and then deep-fried.

Buckwheat: buckwheat flour is used by a lot of pastry chefs and restaurants. The best-known products made from this flour are the traditional “farinetes”, small patties that can be fried with sugar or honey, or with a reduction of “ratafia”.

PLACES AND EVENTS OF INTEREST Olot Market: Olot’s market square is a burst of colour and flavours and an ideal place to buy local specialities and to find some of the region’s best artisan home cooking. Of all the markets in Catalonia, Olot’s market has one of the highest number of producers who control their products from start to finish.

Monday market: Monday is market day in Olot and this weekly market dates back to the thirteenth century. Every week a wide range of stalls selling food and clothing are set up, of which it is worth highlighting the diversity and the quality of the fruit and vegetable stalls.

Charcuterie Fair: every March Olot holds a food fair with areas dedicated to charcuterie, cheese, beer and artisan products.

Origens Fair: this fair showcases quality foods and their producers. Here you can learn to cook, taste new products and buy direct from producers. www.firaorigens.cat

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10. CUISINE

La Garrotxa’s volcanic activity has bestowed on its soils a fertility and richness that are reflected in the cuisine of the area, in which nature and culture are blended together on the same plate. La Garrotxa is an area of singular beauty whose principal attractions include its cuisine.

HIGHLIGHTS Volcanic cuisine: the restaurants that belong to the “Cuina Volcànica” gastronomic group believe firmly that it is essential to promote La Garrotxa and all of its culinary heritage. Thus, these restaurants base their cuisine on products that have been grown or raised artisanally in the area of La Garrotxa. www.cuinavolcanica.cat Cooking with stars: Les Cols is the only restaurant in Olot with two Michelin stars. Located in an old farmhouse restored by the prestigious RCR team of architects, Les Cols offers a series of dishes based on local products and a very special way of preparation. www.lescols.com The other local restaurant with a Michelin star is Ca l’Enric in La Vall de Bianya. Open since 1882, Ca l’Enric’s cuisine has evolved and the restaurant currently offers an imaginative menu based on local culinary traditions. www.calenric.net Gastronomic Show: November is the month in which to taste the traditional Show Menus in many of the restaurants in La Garrotxa. These menus are based around some of the most tried-and-tested local products such as buckwheat, Santa Pau haricot beans, yoghourt from la Fageda, wild mushrooms, charcuterie and so on. Visitors can also enjoy the annual Show Dinner, in which a number of different local restaurants collaborate and in a single space serve up dishes that have been created especially for the occasion from local products.

Tapas route: in June a number of bars and restaurants get together and organize a gastronomic route based on selected “tapas” made mainly from local products. Come along and eat your ‘way through’ Olot!

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P

LA PINYA

River

Roads

Volcanoes

Starting Point

Riudaura Road

C-152 VIC - BARCELONA BRACONS TUNNEL

CARRILET GREENWAY

Montsacopa Volcano Modernism Museums Moixina i Parc Nou Batet i Fageda Greenway RCR Architects

B

City Center

P

La Garrinada volcano

OLOT P

Cabrioler volcanoes

MUSEUMS MODERNISM

P

MONTSACOPA VOLCANO

MOIXINA

PARC NOU

P

Montolivet volcano

roa d a r c elo na

Bisaroques volcano

THE FLUVIÀ

A-26 FIGUERES GIRONA

SANTA PAU ROAD

GI-524

FAGEDA D’EN JORDÀ

BATET

North Vial avenue