Gulf of Rosas. Costa Brava. Spain

The Gulf of Rosas is a gulf located on the coast of Alto Ampurdán, north of the Costa Brava, which opens onto the Mediterranean Sea between the south of the peninsula of Cap de Creus and the Montgrí massif. It is the main gulf on the Catalan coast and constitutes the natural outlet to the sea for the region and the Gerona lands. It takes its name from the town of Rosas, the most important population on its coast. It is often improperly called the Bay of Rosas due to the concurrence of meanings in other languages.

There are important fishing ports in L’Escala and, above all, in Rosas, the latter the most prominent in northern Catalonia. With the tourism boom, agriculture has ceased to occupy the primacy that it traditionally occupied and is in decline.

As the main maritime communication route in the region, which connects the northeast of the Iberian peninsula with the regions of the Mediterranean coast of present-day France and those of the north and center of the Italic peninsula, it has attracted commercial relations since antiquity and also the warlike actions. The Greeks of Massalia (Marseille) founded the commercial establishments of Ampurias and, later, Rhode (Rosas), in the southern and northern ends of the gulf, respectively, with the aim of seizing the resources of the region, dominated by the Iberians. indigets. Ampurias, an ally of Rome, was the port of entry for the Roman armies that started the conquest of Hispania and also for those of Julius Caesar.

Bufalaranya Castle
Fortification located in the municipality of Rosas, from which the entire Bahia de Rosas can be admired.
It is identified with the Pinna Nigra (Black Rock) castle mentioned in documents from the late 10th century relating to Sant Pere de Rodes and the Verdera castle, at the end of which it belonged. Thus it appears consigned in the important donation of the count Gausfredo I of Ampurias-Roussillon in the monastery of the year 974, in the papal confirmations of the same 974 and 990, and in the Ratifying precept of the Frankish king Lotario of 982.

From this hill, sheltered next to the immediate hills of the Sierra de Rodes, you can see the bay of Rosas and part of the Alto Ampurdán plain. A singular hole in the east wall of the keep tower allowed visual communication with Mount Pení, where there must have been a surveillance facility on the coast. It is possible that this was also the function, at least original, of the castle.

Bufalaranya Castle is affected by the Spanish provisions for the protection of the historical heritage of 1949 and 1988, and like all castles in Catalonia, listed as a Cultural Property of National Interest for the purposes of the Catalan Cultural Heritage law of 1993. It is Well of Cultural Interest since 1988.

Gastronomy on the Costa Brava
Catalan cuisine has a long tradition and has been influenced in recent centuries by many civilizations, from the Greeks, Romans to the Phoenicians, Jews, etc. Known for having a tasty and healthy Mediterranean cuisine, this cuisine is an expression of the culture and lifestyle of its inhabitants. With a wide range of excellent local products and ingredients, the gastronomy of the Costa Brava offers you a unique and curious mix of dishes. There are several classics that must be tried during your visit to the Costa Brava. Fish and seafood stand out such as “Mar i Muntanya”, a curious mixture of fish and meat or “Suquet de peix”, a stew that contains different types of fish and seafood.

Anchovies from La Escala, prawns from Rosas, monkfish from the Bay of Roses and sea urchins are more specialties that the Mediterranean provides us. Other famous dishes are the “embotits”, regional sausages, the “pà amb tomàquet” bread spread in tomato with olive oil or the “all-i-oli”. As for salads, the “grilled” grilled vegetables served with bread, meat or seafood stand out, and the “esqueixada” a cold salad of tuna, cod, red and green pepper, onions, olives and tomato. The “samfaina” is a mixture of aubergines and zucchini with garlic, onion and fried tomato that accompanies many dishes. Other specialties are “arròs negre amb marisc i carn”, the “escudella” typical Catalan soup that is normally served in winter, and “bolets” (mushrooms) one of the most precious gastronomic flavors of the forests of the Costa Brava in fall.

For lovers of sweet desserts, the “crema catalana” a kind of flan, the sweet “panellets” based on almond dough, sugar and egg. In addition we find the “Ensaïmada” typical snail-shaped dessert, the “xuixo” a cylindrical dough filled with cream and sugar or the “bunyols” flour dough that is fried in oil. Don’t forget to have a glass of wine or cava while enjoying these classics. This region is known for having an excellent selection of wines and cavas: white, black, rosé, sparkling .

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