Fonteta: Gavarres Trails and Historic Village Centre

Fonteta lies at the foot of the Gavarres massif, practically at the entrance to its forests and on the right bank of the stream that gives the village its name. As you plan your trip, you can decide whether hiking or Fonteta’s architectural and local history should be the focus of your stay. These interests provide a practical starting point for finding a hotel in Fonteta.

Village Centre and Architectural History

The compact village centre, with its narrow streets, is clustered around the parish church of Santa Maria. In some streets, the old paving has been preserved, giving the village its characteristic rural Empordà feel. The houses in the village centre date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Their features include vaulted ground floors, wooden-beamed ceilings on the upper floors, and inscribed and dated lintels. These different architectural elements give the village centre its own architectural history.

The present-day church of Santa Maria de Fonteta preserves an 11th-century Romanesque nave and is fortified. Its bell tower dates from 1755. The village centre therefore brings together several periods of construction: the Romanesque church, the later-dated tower, and the houses from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 844, Fonteta is recorded as a rural settlement that Charles the Bald gave to the Bishop of Girona.

The old Camí Ral is also part of the village’s history. It passes through Fonteta and once connected La Bisbal to the coast via the former hamlet of Fitor. There were once more than twenty lime kilns in the areas of Fonteta and Sant Climent de Peralta. Examples that have survived are still visible, but are in poor condition.

Trails in the Gavarres

From Fonteta, trails into the forests and mountains of the protected Les Gavarres area are easily accessible. Route 4: Fonteta leads into the massif and passes the Romanesque church of Fitor and the dolmens of Serra d’en Cals. It starts at the car park opposite El recuit de Fonteta. The route is listed as 17.46 kilometres long, with 362 metres of elevation gain and a duration of 4 hours and 45 minutes. Before setting out, check trail conditions, route details and the local parking rules, as route information may be updated.

A PR-C hiking trail provides access on foot from Fonteta to Fitor and forms part of the Baix Empordà trail network. A different perspective is offered by cycle tourism stage 11, which runs from La Bisbal d’Empordà through the districts of Fonteta, Vulpellac and Canapost to Peratallada. When planning your trip, you can choose between a hike in the Gavarres, the walking trail to Fitor and a cycle tourism stage; specific route length, elevation gain and duration are given here only for Route 4.

Local Traditions

The Festa Major programme may vary from one edition to the next. Events include a botifarra sausage event, children’s activities and concerts on Saturday; on Sunday, there is a mass, a traditional stick dance, a Sardana performance and a concert. Recuit de Fonteta is also associated with the village: the registered trademark bears the quality label “Producte de l’Empordà”, awarded by the Baix Empordà County Council.

For the broader travel overview: Forallac.