A tour with Salvador Dalí

The Costa Brava’s pristine beaches and the valleys and mountains of the Pyrenees make Girona province a stunning holiday destination. One of the most famous regions is the Empordà, a spot where a multitude of visitors immerse themselves in a dreamlike landscape. The region is home to several protected areas, including the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà Nature Reserve, the Montgrí Nature Reserve, the Medes Islands, and the Cap de Creus Nature Reserve. Numerous idyllic spots in a small geographical region: no wonder even the locals are in love!

This long stretch of coastline inspired artists such as Picasso, Klein, and Marc Chagall. However, it was Salvador Dalí who put this small coastal region in Catalonia on the international art map. Landscape blessed with pine trees, small coves between rugged cliffs, the crystalline sea, fishing villages with white houses, and the Empordà’s impressive flora and fauna feature in much of his work. Salvador Dalí, and his surrealist interpretation of the local Empordà environment, has created a legacy still omnipresent in Girona today.

If holidaying at one of the campsites in Girona, and you’d like to explore Dalí’s world, it’s worth knowing that there are 4 museums belonging to what’s known as the Dalí Triangle. The Dalí Theatre-Museum and the Dalí Jewels Museum in Figueres, the Salvador Dalí House in Portlligat – Cadaqués, and the Gala Dalí Castle in Púbol. Some information about what to expect in each museum is provided below:

• Dalí Theatre-Museum: the old theatre of Figueres with its towers crowned with eggs, the crusty bread decorating the façade, and a huge dome create an extremely striking building. Once inside, visitors encounter more than 1,500 original works. The most noteworthy include “The Spectre of Sex-Appeal”, “Galatea of the Spheres” and “Gala Nude Looking at the Sea Which at 18 Metres Appears the President Lincoln”. But there’s more than just framed paintings. A courtyard also features a car where it’s raining inside. Isn’t that strange! Did you know that this courtyard is also where the painter from Figueres is buried?
• Dalí Jewels: this permanent exhibition is in the same building as the Dalí Theatre-Museum. It houses the jewels that the painter designed between 1941 and 1979, alongside the sketches and preliminary designs. The collection boasts 37 gold jewels and precious materials that belonged to the Owen Cheatham family from America. Before reaching Figueres, the jewels passed through Saudi Arabia and Japan until finally being acquired by the Foundation.

• Gala Dalí Castle: moving on to the small inland village of La Pera. Here, Salvador Dalí restored an old medieval castle, which he gifted his wife, Gala. The garden features statues of surrealist elephants and a swimming pool surrounded by busts of the composer Richard Wagner. Not a bad present, right?!
• Salvador Dalí House: one of the most iconic towns of the Costa Brava lies just 36 km away: Cadaqués. The house where Dalí lived is in the Port Lligat area, a beautiful spot home to white fishermen’s houses. Dalí fell in love with this landscape due to its light and the calmness of a cove on the Costa Brava. A visit reveals the artist’s most intimate side. This house was where he painted most of his works.

As Dalí used to say: “A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” If we follow these words to the letter, it becomes clear that the inspiration dating back thousands of years comes not from a person. It is the Empordà that deserves the status of ‘artist’. This Girona region is a mainstay for huge numbers of artists, thinkers, writers and citizens who have fallen in love with the environment’s surreal beauty, and have become ambassadors of Girona’s most artistic side.

If you have the opportunity to visit the Dalí Triangle, you’ll bear witness to the magnificent natural environment that Salvador Dalí so admired. Inspira’t again wants to provide all the information you need to make the most of the areas around Girona’s campsites. In this case, the aim is to inspire you, as Girona has inspired so many of us.

For further information about Dalí’s world, click here and remember to follow us on social media for more content related to Girona’s Campsites!

Many thanks,

INSPIRA’T