Culture and traditions

In your opinion, what is the greatest thing about Maresme? Summer? Its many sunny days and good weather all year round? Its bright blue skies? That there is no need to choose between the sea and the mountains? There are many reasons to come and visit Maresme... Today we add another one: The Maresme region boasts a hundred companies certified with the Biosphere sustainability label. This involves people working to improve products and services and minimise the impact on nature and the environment. Below you will find some of these 100 plans for you to choose from this summer. Read on, as they will surprise you!

Strength, balance, courage and common sense, the four key concepts of human tower building, repeated like a mantra by its practitioners. For spectators, the most appropriate words might be thrills, nerves, suspense and joy. Without a doubt, to experience a human tower building event is to navigate a sea of sensations. So it’s no wonder that UNESCO inscribed this Catalan tradition par excellence on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

With over 100 kilometres of blue Mediterranean coastline, it is easy to understand why the municipalities of Costa Barcelona have such a close relationship with the sea. The origins of many villages, towns and cities in Maresme, Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat and Garraf, lie in fishing, maritime trade and shipbuilding – origins that for many of these places are by no means a distant memory. Along this stretch of coastline, fishing remains one of the main industries – a fact that you can see for yourself, if you visit any of the seafood auctions that take place on the region's quaysides every day.

If you have a curious mind and are looking for a family-friendly activity, then plan a day trip to the colònies tèxtils (textile model villages) of the regions of Barcelona. Built between the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century, they’re still full of working machines, fabrics you’re allowed to touch and plenty of amazing stories. Ready to journey into the past?

If you think you need to travel beyond the regions of Barcelona to enjoy ancient and meaningful cultural spectacles, then you haven’t experienced the atmosphere of human tower-building performance from the front row, you haven’t leapt up and down during the Patum festivities in Plaça de Sant Pere in Berga, and you haven’t seen the night-time descent of the falles (torches) in Berguedà. If you had, you’d understand why UNESCO has included these essential ancient traditions in its List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and, above all, you’d make a date in your diary to make sure you don’t miss them!

For a long time we believed that heritage was only a thing of the past, which is why we visited museums to explore it. But all you have to do is head out for a stroll to see that the streets house the biggest collection of them all. We suggest a route that goes beyond the historical façades of the streets of Barcelona, immortalised every day in thousands of selfies. The cities and towns close to the capital are also home to architectural jewels that make them well worth a visit.