Our country boasts corners whose beauty, originality and spectacular settings have made them favourite locations for legendary films and television series. For example, in Game of Thrones there are no fewer than 17 locations across Spain, including the Zumaia cliffs.
In Girona, near the Costa Brava, there is a village that, for the creators of 8 Apellidos Catalanes, the Emilio Martínez-Lázaro film, captured the essence of Catalonia and was frequented by Dani Rovira, Clara Lago and the cast. This village is Monells, where medieval architecture achieved an exceptionally high level of craftsmanship. If you want to step into a film set, it should be your next destination.
Monells, a Living Medieval Village
Part of the municipality of Cruïlles, Monells i Sant Sadurní de l’Heura, Monells sits a little over an hour from Barcelona in the Rissec valley, at the foot of the Massís de Les Gavarres. With barely 300 inhabitants, Monells maintains a rural and authentic air, far from the bustle of more commercial destinations.
The residents of Monells know well the treasure they possess and tend it with a care that we all appreciate. One only has to notice how the cobbling of the curved patterns around the Plaza de Jaume I has been laid, which reinforces the visual power of the impressive semicircular arches that surround it.
The Arcaded Village
Originally, in the twelfth century, the square was the stage for the medieval market, a hive of activity that has since become a haven of peace. Now, its arcades host terraces and restaurants where you can savour local gastronomy beneath centuries of history.
As you delve into Monells, the first thing that strikes you is the profusion of arches. It seems as though the whole village were woven with them: arches tapering in the squares, arches that shade dark passages, arches that connect centuries-old houses. Each corner reveals a new one, creating a charming labyrinth that transports you to the fifteenth century.
Everything seems designed so that a visitor’s gaze can perform a slow, high-definition panorama that will be etched in memory for ever. And since you’re here, you can do it with your phone or camera as well, just in case.
Within 25 Minutes of Costa Brava’s Beaches
Its proximity to the Costa Brava —in about 25 minutes you could be on Begur’s beach— makes it the perfect complement to a holiday: sea in the morning, stone houses and lanes in the afternoon. In a fast-paced world, Monells offers the escape we long for, with a charm that surpasses any Tuscan villa for its intimacy and its state of preservation.
The Castle
The village was built around an ancient castle erected in the 11th century, of which today only fragments of walls and towers remain. These Romanesque vestiges mingle with later Gothic elements, creating a fascinating architectural synthesis that reflects the town’s evolution across the centuries.
The Church of Sant Genís
One cannot speak of Monells without mentioning the Church of Sant Genís, an architectural jewel documented since 1019. It sits in the Riera district, beside the Rissec river, which divides the village in two. A tributary of the Daró, this watercourse has shaped the geography and the local economy since antiquity, with mills that probably gave the place its name (Monells would derive from “Villa Mulinnensis”).
To visit Monells is to enter a stone tale out of time. Every corner whispers forgotten stories, every arch frames a different postcard. There are no rushes or crowds here, only the calm of authenticity. It is a refuge where the medieval is not a tourist recreation, but the real presence of our ancestors’ time.
