| Variously described as the jewel or pearl of the Med, Sitges has a long history dating back to Roman times, although it wasn't "discovered" until 1891 when Modernist artist Santiago Rusinol turned it into a centre of art and culture. In the early 1900s, the rich and famous moved here and built magnificent mansions and villas, mostly in Vinyet and Terramar areas. Measuring 2 mls long by 1 ml wide, the town is cosmopolitan and not as commercialised as some resorts, retaining an old-world, turn-of-last-century charm and arty atmosphere. The old town area sits on a small headland with medieval fortress walls and various museums surrounding a 19th-century church. It boasts some impressive architecture (including the odd Gaudi-inspired turret), narrow, sloping streets and charming, whitewashed, traditional hacienda-style buildings. A palm-lined seafront promenade ? running SW for around 1½ mls from the church to Hotel Terramar and lined with tall, elegant town houses ? is wide, clean and bustling with joggers, cyclists, rollerbladers and strollers, giving it something of a casual, Californian feel. Most of the bars, restaurants and nightclubs are situated in the old town and along the promenade, which has given the place a reputation for being frenetic at night, particularly for the gay community. To the SW of the centre, it is mostly residential with attractive, narrow, greenery-filled streets of exclusive detached villas and mansions built around the 1920s; the area is lacking in amenities even though most of the apartments and some of the hotels are sited here. More modern, residential apartment blocks are found inland, where the locals live. | ||||
Beaches: The main beach is a long series of curved bays formed by man-made rock breakwaters with a few circular rock platforms for fishing and sunbathing. It does not shelve and is composed mainly of fine golden sand mixed with some pebbles; narrower to the SW. The section nearest the old town can get very crowded with day-trippers, especially at weekends. Fully equipped windsurfing school; sailing school at the small marina at the NE end. |
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