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This morning on Gavà beach, in Baix Llobregat, a Manhattan was seen in the sea. Spectacular skyscrapers in the waters of the Mediterranean, caused by the magic of the Fata Morgana. Postcard that never ceases to amaze us in La Vanguardia’s Readers’ Photos.
The Fata Morgana effect is named after the Italian fata Morgana (i.e. fairy Morgana), in reference to King Arthur’s half-sister (Morgan le Fay) who, according to legend, was a changeling fairy.
It is a mirage or optical illusion that is due to a temperature inversion. Objects on the horizon, such as islands, cliffs, ships or ice floes, take on an elongated and elevated appearance, similar to “fairy-tale castles”. Or, as in this case, skyscrapers.
The most famous Fata Morgana is the one produced on the southern coast of Sicily, in the Strait of Messina, between Calabria and Sicily.
Now, references to the so-called floating cities off the coast of Barcelona are increasing as a result of two factors.
First, the favorable meteorological conditions to generate the Fata Morgana effect. And, secondly, the important traffic of large ships, whether cruise ships or merchant ships, that exists in the Port of Barcelona.
