Roman Girona Walk - the Força Vella

www.gironalet.com                                                                                                          liza brown

Follows the ‘Força Vella’ circumference. Means the original Roman precinct (1^st   C BC and 3^rd C AD) with Carolingian (9^th and 10^th  C) and some Medieval (14th C) on top

Land enclosed by the 4 rivers – Güell, Ter, Onyar, Galligants

  

Pujada del Rei Marti (leads into cathedral square from North)	Sobreportes Gateway N Entrance of Via Augusta Roman square towers inside 14th C round ones. Roman wall visible under arch – large sandstone blocks – end 3rd C (against Germanic tribes)
Ferran el Católic	Roman tower
Sant Pere Galligants Church	Archaeological Museum (Roman bits…)
Torre Gironella (views of Sant Daniel Valley)	Highest point of original precinct 1 square Roman tower, a partial arcade (maybe part of an aqueduct), remains of a similar tower below Telegraph Tower
(Jardins de Joan Fuster)	Remains of 1st C BC foundational wall (80-70BC during Sertorian Wars). Via Augusta originally called Via Heràclia. City founded by Roman General Gneu Pompeu Magne
University car park Pati de les Aligues	Roman wall Remains from all periods.
Plaça Sant Doménec	Roman Wall, square tower and Gate ‘Porta Rufina’ (was to the right of tower) 3rd C sandstone blocks Nice shady café (!)
Pujada Sant Domenec
Take next right up and back track (Escola Pia)	Roman tower
Plaça del Correu Vell	Gate (gone) S entrance to Via Augusta Main entrance and exit to Roman Gerunda
Quatre Cantons
c/ Ballesteries	Originally this street was outside the Roman wall. The riverside walls were built in the 14th C and left the street in between the 2 walls. Various towers – 1 visible between no. 42 & 44 (3rd C AD now 14th C) Remains of 3rd C Roman tower – go inside no. 24-26 doorway on the right side – large sandstone blocks)
Pujada Sant Feliu	Roman sewer Wall next to Sobreportes Gate – large polygonal blocks of numulite  - 1st C BC (foundational wall) Numulitic stone from Girona quarries
Sant Feliu Church	8 Roman sarcophagi near altar Church built on Roman burial ground outside wall
C / de la Força (go through Sobreportes Gate and continue straight)	Cardo maximus Girona History Museum (3rd C mosaic)

Olot's Best Restaurant (Liza awards)

The best tapas this side of the border (the Spanish one, that is) - 
Can Manolos / L'Altre
This is what we have (very healthy):

navalles

gambas

boquerons

formatge amb oli

patatas bravas

sardinas

             

calamares a la andaluza

 c/  Montsalvatge 15 - 17800 Olot
 972 263 716 

Favourite Girona Restaurants - no particlar order

Chain restaurant.Best salads in town imo, great crêpes, large servings,
informal, friendly, cheap, romantic grungy decor

Beautiful garden and terrace tables at the back. Reasonable food and price, good house wine, informal, friendly, great for Summer especially. Also nice just ofr a drink. We demolished a bottle of Cava around a pretty garden table, while waiting quite a while for our table...hard life

Specialities are suckling pig and Burgos lamb. Between 6 we ordered 4 suckling pig...started with marvellous tuna salad. Not cheap, but a great experience of eating 'a la grande' and it's a 20 minute stroll from the apartment. Full menu is on the website. Historic place - if booking (advisable), ask for interior room table for preference. Closed Monday

Great food and atmosphere. Full menu or tapas. Informal, friendly, not cheap. Slow service probably because everything cooked to order but if you're not going anywhere soon, enjoy. Special.

Great bar with lots of different beers to try. Nice inside in winter, outside in Summer for people-watching. In the Sant Feliu/Felix Church square, convenient for kissing the 'Lion's Bottom'!

Haven't been for a while. They used to do targines, which were fabulous. If they're not doing them anymore, i wouldn't bother, though the terrace underneath the Cathedral is the best place to be on a Summer's evening as there's a breeze blowing down the steps..

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Attractive bar, been there forever, grungy/hippy with Spanish and Moroccan floor and wall tiles. Lots of canoodling corners, lots of noise, quite a young set nowadays! Looks out onto the river at the back. no terrace.

An institution. Best for coffee or lunch. The 'rustic pizzas' don't do it for me (bread with a topping) but the place itself is gorgeous elegant rustic and it's comfortable for eating alone too. 

The one to go to (book i think) when you walk to Sant Daniel. Great for a coffee outside too. Near the monastery. Attractive, friendly, not cheap.

Girona-based fast food joints all over town, the original and best one being in Jaume I (our standby before early evening cinema session). The worst is unfortunately near the apartment in c/ Mig Dia. Rude, slow, robotic service upstairs, quite aggressively deliberately misunderstand you downstairs, in my experience, never to be repeated. Most appealing is the one in Plaça Independencia and the one in the Sant Feliu Church square. Noisy, family oriented, cheap and cheerful. The hotdogs are the best thing on the menu.

Pasta chain. Family pasta night, cheap, cheerful and nice setting in Plaça Independencia, sitting outside.
They do takeaway.