Tossa de Mar. Old town, fortress, beaches and medieval festival

I wanted to have a summer vacation in Spain for a long time, but somehow things didn’t work out: in the end we were “led away” – then to Greece, then to the Caribbean, then somewhere else...

Getting acquainted with Spain, after looking at guidebooks and numerous photos, it was decided to start with the Costa Brava - the coast north of Barcelona, ​​bordering France.

Costa Brava (Costa Brava means “wild coast” in Spanish) is incredibly picturesque: a high rocky coast, cedars and pine trees descending to the sea, a bright blue sea. But still, this is not quite Spain. More precisely, the Costa Brava is located in the autonomous community of Catalonia, which every now and then intends to secede from Spain. Lloret de Mar is considered the tourist “capital” of this part of the Spanish coast, and Tossa de Mar, chosen by us based on reviews and photos, is located 11 km north of Lloret and 90 km north of Barcelona.

The development of this town as beach resort began in the 50s of the XX century. During the filming of the film “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman,” Hollywood diva Ava Gardner fell in love with these places so much that Tossa quickly became popular among Hollywood and European bohemians and turned from a simple fishing town into a respectable resort. Grateful local residents erected a monument to Ava in the Tossa fortress:

Ava Garner's husband Frank Sinatra and many other celebrities loved to be here. But before Hollywood stars this place was discovered by famous artists in the 20-30s of the XX century. One of the first artists to come to this place to relax and work was Marc Chagall, who dubbed the city a “blue paradise.” Here is one of his works, written here and kept in the city museum:

He was followed by many others who captured the extraordinary beauty of these places in their canvases - Andre Mason, Joaquin Miró and Tsuguharu Fujita, etc.

As soon as we checked into the hotel and looked out onto the terrace, we immediately realized: yes, “blue paradise” is, indeed, about Tossa. A delightful view that we never tired of admiring at any time of the day from the terrace of our room:

Without even really unpacking our things, we set off to wander around the Vila Vella fortress. This perfectly preserved 12th-century fortress is essentially an old town. It was built to protect against attacks by North African pirates. Especially in the 16th century, they were not uncommon in these parts. Watchtowers were erected along the entire coast, at a strictly defined distance from each other. Inside each of the towers there was a patrol post, from which continuous monitoring of the situation at sea was carried out. The sentinels signaled the threat of attack using smoke (during the day) or fire (at night). Along the chain, from tower to tower, the signal was transmitted to the city where the pirates were approaching. Since the Moors invented such a signaling system, these towers were called “Moorish”. After receiving a signal of danger, the townspeople had little time to organize a defense: they locked the city gates and prepared to repel the attack of the pirates.

The Tossa fortress had double gates. In case of a threat, the space between the first and second doors was filled with sandbags, which greatly complicated the penetration of invaders into the fortress.

The only street clock in the city once hung on the tower overlooking the main gate to the city. It is not surprising that the tower was called the “Clock Tower” - Torre de les Hores.

The other two cylindrical towers of the fortress also have their own names - Torre del Codolar and Torre de Joanàs. And at the highest point of the fortress, instead of the only destroyed tower, a lighthouse was built in 1917, bearing the proud name “Camino de la Luz” (“Path of Light”).

This currently operating lighthouse houses the Tossa Lighthouse Museum (Museo del Far de Tossa). It contains comprehensive information about beacons Mediterranean coast, – their history, structure and principles of operation. Lighthouse lamps and navigational instruments are also on display here. At the foot of the lighthouse there is an observation deck and a cafe. The views from here are amazing, but the prices for food and drinks in the cafe are 1.5 times higher than below in the city.

The ruins of an ancient church, to replace which, after it could no longer accommodate all the townspeople, the Church of St. Vicenza was rebuilt, and now turned into a theater:

Old city Tossa is perfectly preserved: in addition to the Church of St. Vicenza (XV century) and the Governor's House (XIV century), about 80 houses of medieval construction have survived to this day.

In the narrow streets, despite the abundance of shops and crowds of carefree beach tourists, the atmosphere has been perfectly preserved medieval city.

In the fortress, despite its not very large size, you can walk for hours. There are many charming little things here that emanate the warmth and love of those who lived here previously and created this beautiful city:

And the beauty of the surrounding hills, cliffs, and sea seems to defy verbal description at all, just look:

View from the fortress of the Church of Sant Vicenc, which is located in the very heart of the new city (which, if you look at it, is not much “younger” than the Old Town, it is simply located outside the walls of the fortress).

And behind the church, in the distance, on a hill, rises another watchtower, Torre deis Moros (Moorish Tower, or Tower of the Moors).

One day, of course, we climbed this tower. The view of Tossa from it is mesmerizing:

At the foot of the hill on which the Moorish Tower rises are located the well-preserved remains of a Roman villa (1st-2nd centuries AD).

Next to the ruins (indeed, perfectly preserved), for clarity, there are plaques with images of these buildings and structures in their entirety.

Some of the mosaics were moved from the villa to the city museum of Tossa, located in the house of the Governor.

The walking route to the top of this mountain (view from the fortress) deserves special mention:

Shoes for such a walk must be comfortable and have non-slip soles, otherwise you simply won’t walk and see the most beautiful things, because the path is quite steep in places:

But it's definitely worth it! The route and landscapes that open from any part of it are of rare beauty:

Walking here, on the gate of one of the villas rising on a hill above Tossa, we discovered a menacing warning: “Doberman”. The Doberman himself could be seen right outside the gate, tugging at the toy:

The sculpture “The Fisherman’s Wife”, next to which, between medieval houses, this magnificent route practically begins:

By the way, “the fisherman’s wife” is a very popular subject in local art. Here is another monument to her, erected in the village neighboring Tossa - Lloret de Mar:

Beaches of Tossa de Mar

There are three beaches in Tossa. All of them are municipal (there are basically no private beaches at hotels in Spain).

Platja Gran("Big Beach")

The central and, as its name suggests, the largest beach in the city. Its length is 430 meters and its width is about 45 meters. The magnificent beach, located right next to the walls of the fortress, is well equipped: there are showers, toilets, and a cafe. But there are no changing cabins; those who wish to change clothes, wrapping themselves in a towel, or even just in plain sight of everyone, are not accepted here to have complexes. Umbrellas and sunbeds can be rented, but during our two weeks of vacation we didn’t notice anyone doing this: everyone came with their own umbrellas and umbrellas, fortunately, buying an umbrella in the nearest store costs no more than a 1-2-day rental, and the sand is here quite large and does not stick to the towel. There are many shops, cafes and restaurants nearby on the embankment.

From the same beach, pleasure boats leave almost every hour, on which you can get to neighboring Lloret de Mar or Blanes, or go further afield on a journey that (round trip + walk) will take the whole day - for example, towards the French border, to Sant Feliu de Guíxols. All information about departure times, routes, prices and the tickets themselves are right here, in the kiosks on the main beach. (Some of the information is also presented in Russian; departure times and routes vary at different kiosks).

During the season, all the beaches of Tossa are quite crowded:

But there is always a place for everyone.

Platja Codolar (“Pebble Beach”)

Indeed, the sand on this beach is coarser than on other beaches in the city. But he is beautiful in his own way. It is located right next to the towers of the old city; you can only get to it by walking through the streets of medieval Tossa. The beach is small, its size is only about 80x70 meters. Previously, this place was used as a pier for fishing boats. This means that the water area here is deep. The current is also quite fast, you just have to swim behind the buoys. The beach has a huge advantage: it is protected by rocks on three sides - it is an almost closed bay, which means that on particularly windy days it is better to swim here. There is a bar and shower on the beach, but there are no toilets or changing cabins.

I read that the Codolar Tower, at the foot of which is the cozy Platja Codolar beach, has housed the Museum of Contemporary Art since 2007. I’m not sure, but it seems that this information is outdated: we vacationed in Tossa in August-September 2015, and all this time the tower looked rather abandoned, there were no signs, no ticket offices, no visitors.

BeachMar Menuda(Mar-Menuda)

This is the third city beach in Tossa, the farthest from the center. It is a picturesque bay surrounded by rocks. The shore is covered with small pebbles, but the entrance to the water is sandy, and there is a “paddling pool” fenced in by rocks on almost four sides. So, in addition to the beauty of the beach itself and the magnificent view from it of the fortress and most of the coast of Tossa, this beach has another plus for vacationers with children. The rocks surrounding the beach form grottoes. Therefore, Mar Menuda is the main “place of deployment” not only for families with children, but also for divers who dive in an organized manner from here, not paying any attention to the signs posted everywhere on the beach that diving is prohibited here.

There are indeed quite a lot of fish off the coast (even unusually many for the Mediterranean Sea lately!)

The width of Mar Menuda beach is approximately 40 meters and the length is 300 meters. There are rentals of boats, canoes, etc. You can rent sun loungers and sun umbrellas. The beach is equipped with showers, toilets, several cafes and parking.

During our vacation here, the image of fabulous Tossa was also complemented by a carnival. We still didn’t understand what the holiday was about. But it looked spectacular: when it got dark, brightly decorated platforms and dancers in bright costumes moved along the embankment to the music. The show was also complemented by lighting effects.

And one day at sunset on the main city beach they organized a mass zumba lesson (in our country the name “zumba” is also found, which does not change the meaning: it is one of the dance types of fitness) for everyone:

So Tossa de Mar is a calm place, but certainly not boring!

During our vacation, we also managed to see the surrounding area a little - we visited excursions to the Montserrat Monastery and committed tour “Girona and the Salvador Dali Theater-Museum in Figueres”. Each of the trips took a whole day, and both of them left behind strong impressions. If we had more time, we would definitely see other cities in Catalonia, there are a lot of interesting things here! Read more about excursions from the Costa Brava Here.

The town of Tossa de Mar (Spain), whose sights will enchant any tourist, is one of the main resort places in the province of Girona. At one time this resort was considered quite fashionable, but now it has quite affordable prices.

Charming resort - photo

Tossa de Mar is a tiny (6 thousand inhabitants) town, which is part of the famous Costa Brava- the Mediterranean coast of Catalonia near the Spanish border with.

Where is it located and how to get there?

The city of Tossa de Mar is located in northeastern Spain in province of Girona Autonomous Community of Catalonia. The distance to is 90 km.

Tossa de Mar is one of the most remote resorts on the Costa Brava, so getting here is not so easy.

The starting point when traveling to the resort is Barcelona, ​​but there is no direct train connection between the capital of Catalonia and Tossa de Mar. Therefore, tourists planning a trip to a remote resort have the following travel options:

Historical reference

Like many other cities in the Mediterranean, Tossa de Mar is quite old. The city existed before our era, and at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD, the Romans settled here, giving the city its name Turissa.

In the Middle Ages, the town became the possession of the Counts of Barcelona, ​​and in the 12th century the main attraction of the city, the fortress, was built "Vila Vella". At the same time, the town, along with all of Catalonia, became part of the kingdom of Aragon, and after the “Iberian wedding”, which united Aragon and Castile, it became part of a single one.

For centuries, the city prospered thanks to its main product - balsa bark, however, by the 20th century, the need for traffic jams had dropped significantly and Tossa de Mar lost its importance and even began to decrease in number.

Tossa de Mar was saved by tourism - first the city was discovered by artists (Chagall, Masson, Miro), and after the filming of the film “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman”, which took place in the town, it received wide popularity and began to rapidly develop as a resort.

The outstanding actress Ava Gardner, who moved there after filming and stayed to live in Tossa de Mar, especially contributed to the popularity.

Where to go with children?

The unusual Humor Amarillo complex is located in the open air and is a large area filled with various attractions, obstacle courses, playgrounds and sports equipment.

Humor Amarillo is not like regular amusement parks and is intended primarily for sports enthusiasts of all ages.

Even in the summer, there is a free bus from Tossa de Mar to the water park Marineland, where young tourists can not only have fun on water slides, but also watch dolphin performances.

Watch a review of the fortress in this video Vila Vella:

The fortress of Vila Vella is the last and only surviving example of a fortified medieval city on the Catalan Costa Brava. It is located on a small but high peninsula in the city of Tossa de Mar. The fortress was built in the 12th century to protect the city from attacks by North African pirates, but its current appearance dates from the late 14th century. At the same time, the fortress retained the original outer border with crenellated stone walls with loopholes, four watchtowers and three cylindrical towers with parapets. IN highest point Vila Vella (70 meters above sea level), where the lighthouse stands today, was the castle of the abbot of the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll until the beginning of the 19th century. In 1931, Vila Vella received the status of a national historical monument.

Inside, the fortress is a charming quarter with narrow cobbled streets, the Governor's House, which today houses the municipal museum, the house of Sant Drape, a medieval hospital and the ruins of ancient churches - Romanesque and Gothic.

The Governor's House, built in the late Gothic style, once served as the residence of the rulers of Tossa de Mar and its surrounding area, who also ruled the monastery of Santa Maria de Ripoll. In 1935, a municipal museum was opened within the walls of this house, housing a collection of works of modern art by Spanish and foreign artists who visited the city in the 1930s, for example, Marc Chagall. Chagall lived in Tossa de Mar and called this city “blue paradise.” The archaeological section of the museum is represented by artifacts ranging from the Paleolithic period to the late Middle Ages. Particularly interesting is the mosaic discovered in the atrium (central part) of an ancient Roman villa from the late 4th - early 5th centuries.

Today, tourists can not only explore the historical monuments of Vila Velha, but also find restaurants, cafes and shops on the territory of the fortress, as well as admire the magnificent views of the Mediterranean Sea. There is also a statue of Ava Gardner, a mid-20th century Hollywood star who played a role in the film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, which was filmed in Tossa de Mar.

Tossa de Mar is the most peaceful and tranquil town on the Costa Brava. There are low-rise hotels here, there are no noisy bars, discos and clubs. The main attraction of this resort is the Castillo de Tossa de Mar.

History of origin

Tossa de Mar has been mentioned in literature since 1186. This town is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful and cozy places on the entire coast. It received this status not only thanks to its magnificent seascapes, but also due to the combination of ancient buildings with houses from the 17th-18th centuries. The Castillo de Tossa de Mar fortress was built simultaneously with the city at the beginning of the 12th century. Since then, there have been stone walls here, the road has been partially preserved, and in the chapel there are wooden ceilings that connect the stairs. Not far from the fortress there are ancient fishing houses, which to this day belong to the descendants of the owners. On the territory of the Old Town you can see the remains of a Roman settlement from the 4th century. Also in Tossa de Mar, the city's local history museum has been preserved, which was built in medieval times, but has been restored twice.

Architecture

The Castillo de Tossa de Mar is both a historical and architectural treasure of the city. This is a huge stone fortress rising near the city and jutting out over the sea. You can get here only along a serpentine road, by taking a ride on an unusual steam locomotive, or by walking. From here you can enjoy a wonderful view of the sea horizon, and along the way you can admire bronze sculptures. One of the most interesting is the monument to the famous Hollywood star of the 50s - Ava Gardner. This sculpture appeared here for a reason: the filming of the film “Pandora and the Flying Dutchman” took place in the city, where the actress played the main role.
On the top of the fortress there is a lighthouse illuminating sea ​​route. A small restaurant was also opened there, from the veranda of which you can see the entire panorama of the city and enjoy the enchanting sunset.
From the walls of the fortress there are truly amazing views - of the endless blue sea, of the embankment with many people, of the sculpture of Minerva and the monument to the albatross - a local inhabitant, of the cliffs surrounding the castle with luxurious mansions. From here you can see the rooftops of the Old Town, narrow streets and the City Museum.

Neighborhood

The city of Tossa de Mar is not large, so you can walk it or rent a bicycle or car. Not far from the Castillo de Tossa de Mar fortress there is a City Beach with various sports grounds, rental points for boats, catamarans, scooters, and a pier for small ships. In the city center you can visit souvenir shops, cozy cafes and restaurants with live music. Walking through the narrow streets, you can come to a beautiful church - Esglesia de Sant Vincent, built in the 18th century, which is located on a medieval square. Next is the famous Passeig del Mar embankment with palm trees planted along it.
Tourists who want to spend time actively are offered tours by bus or boat to Lloret de Mar. This small seaside town has all kinds of entertainment - from international bars, clubs, discos to historical tours of famous places. Here life is in full swing both day and night.

Note to tourists

You can get to Tossa de Mar from Girona or Barcelona airport. Buses and taxis go here. There is a short distance from the city bus station to any hotel, so you can walk.

April 26th, 2013 , 12:05 pm

Only on the third day, after admiring the fortress from the shore and from the sea during a boat trip to Lloret, we went to the fortress along a paved stone serpentine road to see Vila Vella from the inside with our own eyes, touch the medieval stones, live a moment in history, to feel the spirit of antiquity, peace and tranquility.

The history of this town dates back thousands of years. The first inhabitants appeared in Tossa de Mar in Neolithic times, as evidenced by the results of archaeological excavations in this area. Around the first millennium BC. an Iberian settlement arose in Tossa de Mar, and the Romans appeared here in the first century BC, confirmation of the presence of the ancient Romans here was received by the city doctor Ignacio Mele in 1914: an amateur archaeologist discovered within the city the ruins of an ancient Roman villa with beautiful surviving mosaics of the 4th century AD, on which the name and title of its owner are immortalized and the city of Turissa is mentioned - “Salvo Vitale Felix Turissa Ex Oficina Felices”. Further long-term excavations confirmed the assumption that Turissa, Tursa (the predecessor of Tossa) was a prosperous Roman city.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Tossa De Mar became part of the kingdom of the Goths; later, in the 8th century, the town was occupied by the Arabs; from the 12th century, Tossa de Mar finally became part of the Duchy of Barcelona. Like all cities and settlements of that time, Tossa was quite strongly fortified and played the role of a protective bastion for coastal settlements. Of course, in those harsh times, life in the coastal city could not be called easy. After these lands were returned to the possession of the Spaniards, the city became concerned about protecting itself from pirates. And in the 12th century AD it was built and surrounded high wall the fortress, which is now known as “Vila Vella” - Old Town, has practically survived to this day.
The watchtowers of the Old City served to prevent pirate attacks from the sea - North Africa, especially in the sixteenth century. Along the entire coast, at a certain distance from each other, there were watchtowers. They usually rose above bays in strategically important places. There was a permanent post inside that monitored the sea. In case of danger, the sentinels gave a signal during the day with smoke, and at night with fire. The signal was transmitted along a chain from tower to tower, and the city to which danger was approaching had time to organize defense. These towers were called “Moorish”; it was the Moors who introduced such a signaling system. As soon as a signal of a threat came, the townspeople locked the main gates and began to defend themselves. The city gates had two doors. In case of danger, the space between the doors was covered with sandbags, making entry into the city very difficult. The tower can still be seen above the main gate to this day. It once housed the only public clock in the city. Gradually, the name “watch” was assigned to it.

The walls themselves were already built in the 12th and 13th centuries, and in the form that has come down to us were completed by the end of the fourteenth century - in 1387. The three cylindrical towers on the ramparts of the city have their own names: Torre del Codolar, Torre de les Hores and Torre de Joanàs. The old church of Sant Vicens from the 15th century and the governor's palace (governor's house) from the 14th century; in addition, about 80 houses of the fort have reached us without destruction.

Of the four large towers, three have survived to this day: in 1917, a lighthouse was built on the site of the almost destroyed fourth.

People still live in the Old Town, and its streets are organically intertwined with the streets of modern Tossa. The new city is not much younger than the Old one. New is the part of the city that, as the population grew, was simply built outside the walls of the fortress. In this part of the city, new houses juxtapose and intertwine with houses built in the 19th century. This city resembles one big house, to which new rooms are added as needed for increasing relatives.

The houses located on the narrow streets of the old town still belong to the descendants of fishermen living in Tossa.
The Church of Sant Vicenc is in the center, behind it on the hill on the left is the Torre deis Moros tower.

It is traditionally believed that coastal settlements were necessarily fishing, but as for this city, this is not entirely true. Yes, several families are still engaged in fishing here, but the main income of the city was the production of wine from grapes and cork.
The city lost its social significance by the beginning of the 20th century, when the demand for cork oak bark fell - the cork industry, together with the coastal trade, formed the basis of the prosperity of the area. An outflow of residents from Tossa began, many dispersed to other cities in Spain. Tossa was rediscovered in the 20-30s of the last century by artists. Tossa is proud that Marc Chagall was one of the first to come here on vacation, and after him other artists came to this picturesque fishing town. Such masters as Andre Mason, Joaquin Miro and Tsuguharu Fujita rested and worked here; At one time, so many artists from all over the world came here that Tossa began to be called the “Babylon of the Arts”! The population of Tossa de Mar is approximately 6,000 people, but during the holiday season the city is filled with tourists from all over the world. Lovers of a relaxing holiday come here; there are no noisy nightclubs and discos, and the beautiful beaches become quiet and almost deserted in the evening.
The narrow streets of Tossa de Mar, decorated with flowers, still preserve ancient residential buildings of traditional medieval architecture with their own special and characteristic flavor. In its heyday (XV-XVI centuries), the Old Town united about 80 houses, most of which retained the dimensions established by the settlement charter (in the medieval states of the Iberian Peninsula, an agreement between feudal land owners and residents of settlements) of 1186.

The municipal museum, located in the governor's house, was founded in 1935. The building itself was built in the Middle Ages, but in the 18th and 20th centuries it underwent strong architectural changes. The museum contains works of art and exhibits from archaeological excavations in the Tossa de Mar area.

From the beach of Tossa de Mar, according to the schedule, ships go to the neighboring beaches of Lloret de Mar and Blanes with a transparent bottom, you can observe the flora and fauna of the Mediterranean Sea. There are several companies providing such excursions. Information about routes, departure times and tickets can be found at the kiosks on the beach.

Quiet and a nice place, where rocky coves alternate with small beaches. Tossa de Mar is notable for its rocky shores, sea cliffs, narrow straits, passing into deep grottoes,romantic bays with andthe emerald color of the water, quiet streets where you can walk for days on end, constantly finding new, unexplored places.

How mesmerizing it is to watch how the sea beats against the rocks below - without changing this order for centuries.
Panorama of the sea and waves! Unforgettable impression!

Not far from the Old Town you can see the remains of a Roman settlement from the 4th century and the ruins of the parish church of St. Vicenza. An example of late Gothic architecture, built in the 15th century on the foundations of a 12th-century chapel, it stood on a fifty-metre cliff. But, despite its spectacular location, it ceased to triple the townspeople. The church was too small to accommodate the parishioners. The population was growing. In the sixteenth century, the city no longer fits inside the fortress, and the first buildings began along the road leading to the city. The quarter outside the fortress walls was called the “new city”. It was there, between 1755 and 1776, that a new church was built in the neo-Gothic style. Unfortunately, most of the decoration of the church was lost during civil war. The tower at the very top of the mountain was also destroyed; first a windmill and later a lighthouse were built in its place.

Along the cliff on the sea side near the observation deck of the lighthouse there are cacti growing and fruits on them; I saw them for sale in shops in Tossa. I heard that these are cactus figs. I had never seen him live before, much less tried him. Even now I couldn’t decide on it. Nevertheless, I bought several pieces and put them in hot water from under the tap in the room so that the spines would become limp, I peeled the peel, cut it and saw that there were a lot of seeds inside, like small pebbles. So they prevented me from understanding and fully experiencing the taste of cactus figs. I think this is the first and last experience of trying these fruits)). Already at home I learned more about them. Here's what they write online:
“Common names are Indian fig, Indian fig, prickly pear, sabr, tsabr, fiig.
The fruits are soft green, light yellow, slightly red or purple, looking like prickly cones of a pleasant color. Inside the fruit there is a whitish translucent pulp, sweet taste, with a rather big amount large seeds.
Cactus fruits - prickly pear fig - have such amazing qualities that it makes sense to try to discover and try them. The contents of the figa are more than amazing. First of all, the richness of the color of the pulp attracts attention; this indicates a high content of natural dyes. They have antioxidant properties as free radical scavengers. The high antioxidant potential of the fig cactus, and this has already been confirmed by scientific research, protects our cells and organs from degenerative processes and diseases. Which cannot but affect the condition of the skin, kidneys or blood vessels.
The pulp of faig fruits is very juicy, sweet, soft, pleasant yellow, orange or red in color, and quenches thirst well. Lately there has been a new and elegant fashion to drink freshly prepared juice from the pulp of the fruit of the fig cactus."
I didn't understand this)).

And this is a palm tree blooming on observation deck at the lighthouse.

On the cliff near the fortress there is the lighthouse of Tossa de Mar, Camino de la Luz, whose name translates as “Path of Light” towers today above the ruins ancient castle. In fact, the current lighthouse is not that old, as it was built only in 1917. In the last century, the building survived a major fire and was then completely reconstructed. The popularity of the lighthouse among tourists is explained, first of all, by the museum located in it. The Museo del Far de Tossa is unique in that it contains, probably, the most complete information about all the lighthouses of the Mediterranean coast. Here you can also get acquainted with the history of the lighthouses of the Mediterranean Sea, their work and structure. The museum displays various lighthouse lamps and navigational instruments. The entrance to the museum is sealed with a sealed door that opens automatically every 5 minutes. Next to the lighthouse there is a beautiful observation deck where you can admire the sea view. Seagulls live on the rocks.

On the observation deck near the lighthouse.

We also climbed that mountain in the distance, there are luxurious villas with swimming pools and flower greenhouses, beautiful!))

In the mid-twentieth century, a boom in world tourism to Spain began. And Costa Brava, and with it Tossa de Mar, were no exception. In 1950, Hollywood chose Tossa for the filming of the film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. The main roles in the film about the love of a bullfighter for a beautiful foreign woman were played by Ava Gardner and Mario Cabre. In life, everything happened almost like in the film: Mario Cabre could not resist Ava’s charm and fell madly in love with her. Rumors always spread quickly, and in Hollywood, well-wishers quickly informed Frank Sinatra - Ava's husband - that his wife was flirting with another man. Sinatra dropped everything and quickly arrived in Tossa to be with her during filming. Ava really fell in love. But not to Mario Cabre, but to Spain, where she lived for eight years after filming the film. Many years later, in 1992, the actress, who in Tosa is still considered the most beautiful woman in the world, a bronze sculpture was installed: Ava Gardner stands on a steep bank facing the sea, a light wind moves her hair and plays with the folds of her dress.

The Church of Sant Vicenc stands out against the background of the houses of Tossa de Mar, behind it on the hill the Torre deis Moros tower is clearly visible, and the road to it, going up the mountain, along which we climbed on the first day, I have already talked about this earlier.

This monument was installed at the beginning of the climb to the fortress; in photo No. 4 it is visible from above.

The extensive city beach is bordered on one side by a rugged rocky coast, where sea cliffs form deep grottoes, narrow straits and secluded coves, attracting dreamers, romantics and explorers of the underwater world. On the other side of the city beach is one of the most famous national monuments of the Costa Brava - the medieval fortified city of Vila Velha, located at an altitude of 70 meters above sea level, and from its walls there is an amazing view of the sea below. The coastline of Tossa de Mar stretches for 14 kilometers. The length of the central city beach Platja Gran is 430 m, the width is on average 45 m.

Beach Platja Gran.

Having returned to the beach along the same road along which we climbed to the very top of Vila Vella, to the lighthouse, we decided to examine the neighboring mountain from the lagoon, climb the stairs to the very top and walk through the beautiful, seemingly uninhabited places. But first we needed to take a break and have lunch, which we did in a cafe on the shore; everything took a little over an hour; after refreshing ourselves, we went to the foot of the mountain at the Kodolar tower.

The ascent to the neighboring mountain began from this place, from the Kodolar tower, one of the three towers of the wall that has retained its original name. The name Codolar means "rock formed on the seashore." A beach with rough sand mixed with pebbles and other rocks polished by sea water is immediately visible. The Codolar Tower has housed the Museum of Contemporary Art since 2007.

Stones, pine trees and the sea merge into a single image of fabulous Tossa. In the distance, at the very top of the mountain of the Old Town, a lighthouse and the walls of the fortress are visible; we are at the foot of the neighboring mountain, at the Kodolar tower.

The path to the top is not easy, but the view of the city and the sea is magnificent! In the center is the Kodolar Tower.

The road to the top of a neighboring mountain.

This is also one of the main beaches of Tossa de Mar, Platja Codolar. It is slightly hidden in a corner under the Old Town tower, the Codolar Tower. The beach of Platja Codolar, El Codolar, is well protected from the wind, which in ancient times was important for fishermen going out to sea. Therefore, part of the modern beach served as a port for fishing ships for a long time.
This city is simply a breath of history. Relaxing here is a pleasure. Sometimes people don't have enough time to stop and just look around. And here the stones of the Old Fortress calm, warm and slow down time.

El Codolar beach. Its length is about 80 meters and its width is 70 meters. The city beach has been awarded the Blue Flag. The water area of ​​the beach is deep and the current is fast, which poses a danger for those who cannot swim. Small rocky outcrops located along the coast are also quite dangerous, despite the strength of the rocks that make up them.

Tossa is an amazing city. Once you get here, you want to come back again and again. There is a fascinating magic in its narrow streets, old fortress and, of course, in the sea. But even it cannot outshine Tossa...