Massanes: Forest Landscape, Hiking Route and Romanesque Architecture
Accommodation in Massanes
Three themes provide a guide to a stay in Massanes: the wooded landscape, a specific Tourdera hiking route and buildings with different spatial settings. If you are looking for a hotel in Massanes, these highlights can help you shape your stay around your interests. Hiking, architecture and festival traditions offer different perspectives: the route takes you on foot through the surrounding area, the churches and the Castell offer architectural points of interest, and the Festa Major marks a date in the calendar.
Forest Landscape and SurolĂ de Cal MĂşsic
The area around Massanes is rugged and wooded, especially in the north. One specific natural feature is the SurolĂ de Cal MĂşsic, which the Generalitat de Catalunya recognised as a Monumental Tree in 1995. This designation is a lasting nature conservation award. Alongside the broader picture of forest and terrain, there is therefore a single named tree as a clearly defined point of reference.
Hiking the Tourdera Section
The Tourdera section between Massanes and the railway station is 4.1 kilometres long, with a cumulative elevation gain of 31 metres. The distance and elevation gain offer two different points of reference for planning your outing. Along the route, follow small urban signposts and yellow trail markers. The path runs mainly through forests and along quiet forest tracks; the trail markers and scenery give the walk a distinctive character. If you enjoy exploring on foot, you can use the distance, elevation gain and trail characteristics to decide whether this particular walk fits your travel plans.
Churches, Castell and Architecture
The Church of Sant Esteve de Massanes is in the centre of the village. Its Romanesque apse features blind arcades and pilaster strips. Blind arcades are shallow, solid arch forms; pilaster strips are narrow, vertical strips of masonry projecting slightly from a wall. The terms refer to different elements of the wall articulation and provide a more precise architectural description of the Romanesque apse.
The Castell-Palau del Baró de Quadres is near the road leading to the centre of Massanes. The Art Nouveau architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch was commissioned to design the Castell-Palau. For this building, its relationship to the road is the specific point of reference; the church, by contrast, is in the centre of the village. The Ermita de Sant Roc is on a hill outside Massanes and has a single-nave layout. “Single-nave” describes a plan with just one nave. The three buildings thus have different spatial reference points: the village centre, the road to the centre and a hill outside the village.
Festa Major and Other Festival Traditions
The Festa Major de Massanes takes place on the first weekend of August. It includes concerts, Havaneres singing, a tasting of rom cremat and activities for children. Another event is the rice dish gathering at the Ermita de Sant Roc, which has been organised on 11 September since 1977. If you would like to plan around this date, check before travelling whether the event is taking place that year.
Discover more destinations: Valveralla, Calonge, El Port De La Selva, CruĂŻlles, Mont-Ras, Sant MartĂ Vell, Santa Llogaia D'Ă lguema, La Pera.
For the broader travel overview: Girona.
