The stone of Girona

Flag

The starting point of the itinerary is Catalunya square, from where you climb up the steps to the city wall at La Infància gardens.

The building of this stretch of the city wall commenced in 1362...

Look eastwards from General Peralta tower for a good view of the nummulite rock formations in one of the many quarries of the area, source of the stone used for the buildings in the historic city...

Close observation of the blocks used to build the city wall shows that calcareous nummulite rock was the most common building material. We can also see, to a lesser extent, other materials such as...

You now come to the Gironella tower vantage point, an old mediaeval construction integrated into Girona city walls, which was destroyed in 1814 during the retreat of the French troops. However, the...

Here there is a point for observing fossils. If you look closely at the stone, you will see nummulites, i.e., “giant” single-cell organisms protected by a carbonated shell, which used to inhabit the...

Now take La Ferradura (Horseshoe) way, the name of which evokes the form the route of the road draws. This pleasant stretch of the route takes you to the amphitheatre formed by the walls of the quarry...

At the entrance to the quarry, you will see some carved stone blocks that call to mind the former stone-working trades: quarrymen, stonebreakers, stonecutters, stone carvers, hewers, pavers, porters...

You are now at the Anglada quarry, one of the last to be in operation of the many that existed in this sector of the city. Although there were also quarries at other points such as Montjuïc or Pont...

A few yards from the tower there is a lookout point affording splendid views of the city, with the Pyrenees on the horizon, among which you can make out the peaks of Canigó and Puig Neulós. 

You will...

The highest point of the itinerary is Alfons XII tower. The path around its perimeter affords a magnificent panoramic view of the city. This 19th-century tower stands on the site of a former...