Sitges My First Love! And so it began
Sitges, Spain! What an incredible and stunningly breathtaking village! From the very first moment I set foot in this part of Espana !!, I fell in love. And many years later, after having visited so many beautiful towns and villages in Spain, I would go as far as to say that Sitges is possibly one of the most enchanting places you could ever wish to visit in this country.
The Famous Rally Of Sitges
Situated about 35 kilometres southwest of Barcelona, From the typical whitewashed buildings in the old town’s narrow streets to the palm-lined seafront esplanade and beyond, Sitges is an authentic Spanish seaside resort with so much to explore and discover. The roots of Sitges’ artistic reputation date back to the late 19th century. Still, when Catalan painter Santiago Rusinol took up residence there during the summer, the town in the 1960s became a centre for the counterculture on the mainland of Spain (then still under the dictatorship of Franciso Franco). It became known as a sort of ” Miniature Ibiza”. I first came to Sitges in the 60s and was fortunate enough to live through that exciting, fascinating and oh so colourful period.
Every evening we would sit on one of the terraces in the Calle Dos de Mayo (2nd of May street), also nicknamed Calle del pecado (The street of sin). To watch the gorgeous, wealthy Spanish ladies parade up and down in their glorious coloured outfits of reds, greens, yellows, turquoise, mostly vast flowing trousers and tops studded with enormous sequins was a pure delight. The hairstyles were incredible and often decorated with stunning silk flowers. Every evening was a continuous fashion show that lasted till the early hours of the following morning and would have been the envy of the most illustrious designers such as Armani or Versace. This extraordinary town is also famous for its flamboyant carnival, spectacular film festival, and controversial Gay parade! All of which are worth seeing. Not to forget the Rally, when gorgeous shining vintage cars come along the coast road from Barcelona to Sitges, the drivers with their wives and families all dressed up in outfits per the epoch of the vehicles.
