Castell d'Aro, Platja d'Aro i S'Agaró is a municipality in the middle of the Costa Brava in Catalonia, Spain. It is formed from two parts: Castell d'Aro is an ancient village built around a medieval castle and a fortified church, 3 km (2 miles) inland on the road from Platja d'Aro to Santa Cristina d'Aro; and Platja d'Aro is a coastal town on the road from Palamós to Sant Feliu de Guíxols which stretches along a large 2 km ( mile) beach.
Originally a small fishing village, Platja d'Aro is now a major coastal resort, popular predominantly with Catalans and villa-owning Northern Europeans.
Along the coast, connecting the main beach with numerous small beaches, is the Camí de Ronda. This ancient path now forms part of the GR 92 long distance footpath, which runs the length of the Mediterranean coast of Spain. It passes along the seafront promenade of Platja d'Aro. To the north the path follows the rocky coastline and crosses several beaches to reach the southern end of the beachside promenade of Sant Antoni de Calonge. To the south it diverts around the extensive Marina de Port d'Oro and crosses the Platja de Sa Conca before following the coastline around the headland of S'Agaró to the resort of the same name.
Location
Castell d'Aro is located in the heart of the Costa Brava, 80 km (50 miles) north of Barcelona. It borders with Calonge to the north, Santa Cristina d'Aro to the west, Sant Feliu to the south and the Coast to the East. Castell-Platja d'Aro occupies the eastern end of the Vall d'Aro, a narrow plain drained by the river Ridaura and located between the Mountain ranges of Cadiretes and southern end of the Gavarres. Platja d'Aro was originally a small fishing village on the highway between Palamós and Sant Feliu de Guíxols with a 2 km ( mile) long beach. It is now a major tourist resort with hotels and other commercial premises.
History
Prehistory
The first evidence of human habitation are a number of tombs dating from the neolithic era 2500 BC in the Pinell area. Around 2000 BC, towards the end of the neolithic period, groups of humans settled in the mountains of Treumal and Vallvanera. There are a number of monuments from this period, including the menhir of Vallbanera and the dolmen Cova dels Moros ("Cove of the Moors").
Roman times
Roman ruins were discovered at the Vila de Pla de Palol dating from the 1st-4th Centuries AD. These occupy an area of 10,000 m2 ( acres), and retain the majority of the patios and open spaces. The villa was part of a large agricultural estate including vineyards. It also exported clay for the manufacture of ceramics that were later exported by sea from the natural harbor of Cove Rovira.
Middle Ages
From the 9th century the countryside started to recover from Sarracen raids and the repopulation of the Vall d'Aro began. The first arrivals were farmers. In 781 Charlemagne offered the Bishop of Girona the territory of the Vall d'Aro. The first documented reference of Platja d'Aro, in its original name of Fanals d'Amunt, appears in 968.
King Lothair I confirmed his possessions to Sunyer, the Abbot of the monastery of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, including Fanals d'Amunt and its church. The origin of Castell d'Aro is the Castle of Benedormiens. The Castle was first documented in 1041, when the religious authorities, the local Knights and Nobles granted the monastery of Sant Feliu de Guíxols the safekeeping of the castle with the obligation to protect all the Vall d'Aro, of which Fanals was an important part. In 1585 a new church was built in Fanals de Baix, the present Fanals d'Aro. A new settlement grew around this building deserting the older Fanals d'Amunt. In 1774 an extension was completed to the Church of Fanals d'Aro.
Modern
During the following centuries only one municipality existed, in 1858 the area was divided with Romanyà, Bell-lloc, Santa Cristina d'Aro and Solius becoming separate from Castell d'Aro and Fanals d'Aro. This is regarded as the official creation of the two cities, Santa Cristina de Aro and Castell d'Aro. In 1843 the district was characterized by high rents, a centralized municipal model with limited suffrage. The elections of 1869 reflected the federal and republican character of Empordà and Fanals. As a result, constitutional guarantees were suspended and disarmament of the popular military service ordered by Central Government. The federalists took up arms supported by the inhabitants of Fanals, they participated in the Foc de Bisbal, where they faced a number of government forces.