Altafulla

Altafulla
Municipality
Coat of arms
Altafulla Location in Catalonia
Coordinates: 41°8′36″N 1°22′37″E / 41.14333°N 1.37694°E
Country	Spain
Community	Catalonia
Province	Tarragona
Comarca	Tarragonès
Government
• Mayor	Fèlix Alonso Cantorné (2015)[1]
Area[2]
• Total	7.0 km^2 (2.7 sq mi)
Elevation	52 m (171 ft)
Population (2015)[1]
• Total	5,052
• Density	720/km^2 (1,900/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Altafullenc
Website	www.altafulla.cat

Altafulla is a municipality in the comarca of the Tarragonès in Catalonia, Spain. The town of Altafulla has a beautifully intact old quarter crowned by the Castle of Altafulla, an additional medieval castle on a small promontory overlooking the sea (Castle of the Marquises of Tamarit, not open to the public) and an old fishing quarter dating back to the 18th century along the beach, called "Baixamar" or "Les Botigues del Mar".^[3] Beyond the Castle of Tamarit is one of the last remaining forests stretching along the sea in Catalonia, part of which is a small nature preserve (under the Tamarit-Punta de la Móra Special Environmental and Landscape Protection Plan). It is also home to the remains of the Roman Villa of Els Munts, which is part of a larger UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[4] The Gaià River "empties" into the sea here, its last stretch being a small nature preserve and haven for songbirds (Reserva Natural de Fauna Salvatge de la Desembocadura del Gaià - Gaià River Estuary Wildlife Preserve),^[5] though due to damming upriver, it carries very little water at this last section, forming a tiny salt marsh separated from the sea by a bar of sand. This wildlife preserve is run by L'Hort de la Sínia, an ecological agriculture, learning and activities center.^[6]

Altafulla has one of the highest median household income in the province of Tarragona.

Twin Towns

• Roviano, Italy

References

• Panareda Clopés, Josep Maria; Rios Calvet, Jaume; Rabella Vives, Josep Maria (1989). Guia de Catalunya, Barcelona:Caixa de Catalunya. ISBN 84-87135-02-1 (Catalan). ISBN 84-87135-01-3 (Spanish).

1. "Ajuntament d'Altafulla". Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
2. "El municipi en xifres: Altafulla". Statistical Institute of Catalonia. Retrieved 2015-11-23.
3. "Les Botigues del Mar" on "Pobles de Catalunya. Guia del patrimoni històric i artístic dels municipis catalans" (Towns of Catalonia: Guide to the Historic and Artistic Heritage of Catalan Municipalities), (in Catalan).
4. The Roman Villa of Els Munts is included under the Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco - See the World Heritage List (called "Dels Munts Villa" - sic - in the report)
5. "Desembocadura del Gaia" - Gaià Estuary, site on preservation of the Gaià River (in Catalan).
6. L'Hort de la Sínia, information (in Catalan).

External links

• Altafulla Tourism Page (in English, Catalan, Spanish, etc.)
• Castle of Tamarit at the Tarragona Tourism Site (in English, etc.)
• Roman Villa of Els Munts / Vil·la Romana dels Munts at the National Archaeology Museum of Tarragona website. (in English, Catalan and Spanish)
• Altafulla on the website "Pobles de Catalunya. Guia del patrimoni històric i artístic dels municipis catalans" (Towns of Catalonia: Guide to the Historic and Artistic Heritage of Catalan Municipalities), (in Catalan, excellent photographs).
• "Desembocadura del Gaia" - Gaià Estuary, site on preservation of the Gaià River (in Catalan).
• Coastal Nature Reserves in Costa Daurada, Diputació de Barcelona (in English, Catalan, Spanish and other languages).