The Point – the most iconic landmark in Sitges
Sitges is a lovely Mediterranean coastal town, a seaside resort some 35km southwest of Barcelona in Catalunya, Spain. During my trip to Barcelona earlier this year, I visited Sitges for a day trip, taking a train there.
The coast and a mermaid statue
The beautiful sea
The gorgeous beach
A stroll by the beach
The vibrant beach in Sitges
It takes about 35 minutes to get to Sitges via the Barcelona Ave High-Speed train station. There are said to be 300 sunny days per year in Sitges, 26 beaches, 3 marina, 5 museums, one nature reserve and one golf course, with over 1,900 camping spaces, 29,000 inhabitants of 90 different nationalities, over 400 restaurants and shops, as well as 50 events yearly.
Waiting for our train to Sitges from Barcelona
Sitges station
The beaches are beautiful at Sitges and there are plenty of attractions there. It is recognised as one of the most charming towns along the Catalan coast. Apparently, it also has one of the most vibrant and hippest gay scenes on the coast, so LGBT travelers will probably dig Sitges. I did notice many of the shops and establishments in Sitges have the rainbow flag hanging outside.
The port in Sitges, Port Ginesta has become the largest marina in Catalonia and is located at the foot of Garraf Massif. For a small town, there is a lot to see in Sitges.
Walking along the streets of Sitges, there is an old world small town feel, bustling with recreational activities:
Interesting architecture
Everywhere, the buildings have an old world feel
Church
Arthouse cinema
Films that are showing
Concert poster, promotional posters
Cooking class for kids
Restaurant selling Japanese tapas
Cakes and catering
Small shopping mall
Cakes and pastries
Awards won by the street for beautiful flower displays
Masks shop
Tea shop
Household wares shop
Cartoon character easter eggs, including Dragonball
Chocolate eggs
Chocolate bunnies
There was an art fair in Sitges when we were there and I went to check out some of the art pieces:
Fira d’Art
A blacksmith molding swords
Boats and yachts
Family themed
Brightly coloured
Interested buyer
Browsing
Asian theme
Wood pyrography art
An artist with her works
Pop culture
Strong contrast
Strong colours
Contemporary artworks
One of the key historical site and attraction in Sitges is Iglesia de Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla. You can’t miss it – it’s the large, towering structure by the beach, overlooking the Mediterranean sea, where all activities revolve around.
The name in English translates as “Church of St. Barthlomew and St. Tecla”. Locals sometime refer to it as simply “La Punta” or “The Point”. Although a church has existed since medieval times on the same site, the present building was constructed relatively recently in the 17th Century, but retains two Gothic tombs from its previous incarnation, and also boasts an impressive organ and Renaissance-era altarpiece.
As Catholicism has dwindled in recent times, the parish church has lost some of its civic significance but it is still a popular wedding site and a great place to explore for visitors:
The Point from a distance
A cannon atop the Point
View of the beach area from atop the Point
Some paintings left to dry outside
View of the tower
View of the sea, with someone windsurfing
View of the seaside
One of many small statues in the vicinity
Next, we also visited Palau Maricel. The Maricel buildings were constructed between 1910 and 1916 and their construction transformed the face of the old town of Sitges, giving it a distinctive identity that has remained to this day.
Door at the entrance of Palau Marciel
The entrance
The Maricel was the work of two unique men: American industrialist and collector Charles Deering (Paris, Maine, 1852-Miami, 1927) and the engineer and artist Miquel Utrillo i Morlius (Barcelona, 1862-Sitges, 1934).
The Maricel’s story began in the autumn of 1909, when the painter Ramon Casas introduced Deering to Sitges. The American liked the town so much that he made immediate plans to build a residence in Sitges. Yes, Deering is supremely rich. Casas introduced him to his friend Miquel Utrillo. Utrillo soon became the millionaire’s trusted acquaintance, and in 1910 mediated in the acquisition of the former Hospital de San Juan Bautista that Deering bought from Sitges Council for 40,000 pesetas.
The following year Utrillo oversaw decoration of the property, creating a stately home complete with ornamental elements from different periods and origins. On completion Deering then purchased more houses in the surrounding areas.
Exterior of Palau Marciel
Beautiful view by the sea
Inside Palau Marciel
Up the stairs
As an avid collector, Deering coerced his companion Utrillo to travel throughout the peninsula in search of the relics from religious and civic buildings left in ruins. The items he found were then incorporated into the facades of the Maricel.
As sudden as he had came into Sitges, one day in 1921, Deering just packed up his bags and the art he had accumulated and left the Maricel, back to the United States. Today, many of the works can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago.
On the “Noble Floor” of the Palau Maricel one can find two rooms of notable beauty: the Golden room and Blue room, each room being decorated uniquely and designed for public use:
The Blue Room
Rooftop
Area to busk in the sun
Rooftop garden
Lovely aerial view
Many arches
Decorative marble tiles behind the arches
The picture tiles
The blue blue sea view
Glazing out
Sheryl enjoying a sip of wine
Signature bubbling wine from Sitges
One room to the other
The Golden Room
Decorated ceiling
A piano room
Catholic influence
Patterned floor tiles
Golden arches
After the tour, we had dinner at Fragata, a seaside restaurant with a wonderful view and excellent Spanish Mediterranean food:
Sea-facing restaurants and cafes
Fragata restaurant in Sitges
Chapata con tomate – extra virgin bread toasted with tomato pulp and extra virgin olive oil
Anchovies from the cantabrian sea over a parmesan homemade tart with tomato tartar
Tuna carpaccio with light vinaigrette and mild mustard seeds and scallion
Grilled small calamari over caramelised onion and smoked olive oil
Fry of king prawns and small squids with romesco sauce and alioli
Grilled scallops with sea urchin emulsion, asparagus, shallots and iberian select ham
Homemade deconstructed cheesecake with berries and crumbled cookies
I love the food, the views, the sights and sounds in Sitges. After the meal, the group of us felt like we could sit there forever and just lazed the day away by the beach.
Writing this post makes me want to fly to Barcelona and visit Sitges again!
