* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
Monells, the protagonist today in La Vanguardia’s Readers’ Photos, is a charming inland town where strolling through the streets is like entering history and traveling through it to the present day. Not in vain is it a town of medieval origin, located between the Baix Empordà plain and at the foot of the Gavarres.
Documented since the 10th century, some sections of the wall and towers of the fortified complex are preserved. Its cobbled streets, its walls and its many corners invite you to explore the town, nestled in the surroundings of the Rissec River valley.
Some of the most beautiful places in the town that we should not pass by are Plaza Jaume I, the church of Sant Genís, Calle dels Arcs and Plaza de l’Oli.
Calle Major, where the houses have elements from the 15th-18th centuries, goes up towards the castle. For its part, Vilanova street follows an old path, called Via Mercadera from the 11th century.
The origin of the town’s name may be related to the water mills of the river that divides the town, the Rissec. As a curiosity, it happens that the film Eight Catalan Surnames was filmed in this municipality.
