L'Escala holiday house

Ruins of Ampurias (Empuries), 1km from La Escala

IN the 7th Century BC the locals inhabited an elevated terrain near the marshes. One of these settlements dating from the iron ages was located on a small hill where today the village of Sant Marti de d'Empuries lies. It dates from the late bronze age (9th Century BC) and its inhabitants traded with the Phoenicians, Greek and Etruskans. Greek traders founded the first settlement, the Palaia Polis (Greek city), whose ruins can be visited today. The colonie was named 'emporion', meaning 'market' in Greek. Increasing trade relations of the Greek with the tribes of the Iberian peninsula allowed the Iberian culture to start developing.

History of Empruies (continued)

In the year 218 BC during the the second punic war Roman troops under the leadership of Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio landet at the harbour of Empuries cutting off the retreat over land of the Carthagian Army. Thus began the process of romanization of the Iberian peninsula. The first Roman city was founded in the first century AD. Empuries had an archbishop in the late middle ages, following conquest by the Arabs and reconquest by the Franks in the 8th century AD. IN the 9th century Empuries became a fishing village, and its inhabitants founded the small city of La Escala.

The old Greek harbour

The old Greek harbour - today it is a beautiful little bay ideal for families with small children - became known to an international audience in 1992 thanks to the arrival via sea from Greece of the Olympic flame on its journey to Barcelona, where the XXV Olympic Summer Games were held that year. It is in 1908 that scientists begin being interested in in Empuries and archaeological excavations began which continue uninterrupted to date. Currently, 25% of the site has been excavated. The Ruins can be visited the whole year round and the entrance costs 3 € / adult. I recommend you combine the visit to the excavations with a nice walk/stroll along the beach promenade that leads from La Escala to Sant Martí d'Empuries. This promenade is ideal for walking with a baby stroller or for riding a bike or rollerblades.