Written by:
René Goldberg
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this Issue of Curve:
Vol. 13#3
Sitges (pronounced “Sit-jez”) is only a 20-minute ride from Barcelona. And although deciphering the Barcelona Metro system seems fairly simple, with easy-to-read machines that dispense the tickets, deciphering the train schedules and figuring out which track will carry which train is another matter.
But, lucky for me, the people in Barcelona are friendly. As I stood staring incomprehensively at the sign that I hoped would tell me where to go, a long-legged woman with shiny dark hair and a beautiful smile came to my rescue and put me on the correct train.
Less than a half-hour later, when I stepped outside the train station in Sitges, I was greeted by the sight of nearly a hundred motor scooters lining the street. The strangely soothing image gave me some idea of what my days in Sitges would be like. With 300 days of sunshine each year, it’s not surprising that motor scooters, bicycles and walking shoes are the preferred methods of transportation along Sitges’ narrow streets.
Formerly a fishing village, Sitges still makes note of which of the town’s pearl white houses are occupied by fishermen by adding a thin horizontal line of royal blue paint at the foundation level. Its population swelled at the turn of the 20th century with expat Spaniards who had made their fortunes in the Americas and returned to Sitges for a life of leisure. Today, few resorts compare with Sitges’ breathtaking Mediterranean landscape, 17 beaches (including a gay beach and a nude beach), active gay nightlife and busy festival calendar.
Despite the fact that Sitges has more than 4,500 hotel rooms (half of them in four-star establishments), 1,500 rental apartments and 3,000 campsites, it can be difficult to find accommodations there during the summer months. High season is June through August, when families from Barcelona like to take their holidays by the sea. If you want to avoid the summer rush entirely, plan your visit for September, after most of the Europeans have gone home. (February is also a difficult time to reserve a room, as that’s when Sitges plays proud host to Carnival, with more than 3,000 revelers and 40 floats taking part in the festivities.)
Over the past few years, Sitges has been gaining notoriety as a gay and lesbian resort town. First came gay and lesbian travelers from Great Britain and Germany in the 1960s. Now, gay men and lesbians from the United States have caught on, too, eager for a respite from the hustle-bustle of nearby Barcelona.
By some estimates, up to 70 percent of the town’s businesses are gay and lesbian owned. These business owners are not just Spaniards, but German, French and English as well. Vivianne Schael, owner of the upscale gay and lesbian Dä/Sí Tours (which specializes in trips to Spain and the Iberian Peninsula), attributes the popularity of this very old, historic village to the mix of its progressive attitudes, arts community and retention of Spanish flair.
Schael organized her first gay and lesbian tour of Sitges about five years ago. “Mind you, I wasn’t too sure how we were going to be received,” she recalls. Historically, gay and lesbian travelers stick to the “safer” options afforded by big cities. Happily, the gamble paid off, and Schael has been bringing gay and lesbian travelers to Sitges ever since. “It was so pleasantly comfortable and everybody enjoyed it so much,” she says. “We know where to go now.”
Like many American queer destinations, the boys are in full force in Sitges. Nonetheless, the bars and clubs there are mixed and welcoming to lesbians. Beachside, lesbian couples spread suntan lotion on one another, walk hand-in-hand along the surf and play in the clear water along the sea.
Walking, biking and rollerblading along the beach are favorite pastimes with visitors. Those new to rollerblading should beware the awkward hills in town, which make sticking to the beaches a much better choice. But the mistakes of others sometimes yield pleasant surprises. One day, much to my delight, I happened upon two bikini-clad women who were floundering to make their way back to flat land. I watched them for a second before offering them my arm and pulling them to safety. I couldn’t really understand what they were saying — nearly everyone in Sitges speaks Catalan, and my high-school Spanish class didn’t prepare me for that. But I felt like my good deed was my little contribution to the friendly atmosphere that makes Sitges so special.
>> If You Go:
Though you may not feel like leaving the sun-drenched beaches of Sitges even for an afternoon, the village is within a day’s drive of some outstanding destinations. These include:
> Valley of Penedes
The Valley of Penedes is the most important wine region in northern Spain — and it’s just 15 minutes away from Sitges by car. Start at the Penedes’ Wine and Cava museum to get the lay of the land. Then take off on a leisurely day of wine tasting at small, family-owned bodegas. (Keep your eyes open for specialty wines not available for commercial export.) The region is especially well-known for its sparkling wines, called “cava.” The Freixenet Group is based here, and they produce more than 60 percent of Spain’s sparkling wine.
> Tarragona
Just south of Sitges is Tarragona, an historic Roman town about an hour and 15 minutes by car or train. The city itself stands on a rocky hill that gradually slopes down toward the sea. Founded in 218 B.C. by Publius Cornelius Scipio during the Second Punic War, Tarragona was once the most important city outside of Rome. The city includes a number of well-preserved Roman sites, including an amphitheater that overlooks the ocean. The amphitheater is connected by secret route to the building that now houses the Roman Museum — underground channels once used by gladiators.
> Barcelona
Though most people make day trips to Sitges from Barcelona, if you’ve made Sitges your home base, you might want to do it the other way around. If you’ve never been to Barcelona, Spain’s oldest city, put these places on your must-see list: Sagrada Familia, Antonio Gaudi’s masterpiece cathedral; the Picasso Museum, with the most extensive collection of the artist’s work; Parc Guell, Gaudi's surreal urban park, with its whimsical sculptures, intricate mosaics and unforgettable sunsets; and Las Ramblas, which includes a 150-year-old covered market, la Boqueria, where you can buy a quick bite for lunch.
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