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Route from the Font del Lleó to the Red Tower

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In the Vallès Oriental, a region in the province of Barcelona, we find Caldes de Montbui: a town that you cannot miss if you want to learn more about the history of Catalonia. Different cultures have lived here for generations: Among the best known civilizations, we highlight the Iberians and Romans. We have to admit that Caldes de Montbui is not a very big town, but it is impossible to be disappointed, that’s for sure.

Knowing all the corners in depth, will involve some small excursions, but here we do not propose anything that is not worth it. Are you ready to discover what to do in Caldes de Montbui?

Lleó Fountain

To start this route, you will have to go to the main square of the town, the Plaça de la Font del Lleó.
Plaça de la Font del Lleó
. To get there you will have to go through the historic center. There you will find the reason for the name of the square: a fountain in the shape of a lion’s head. But that is not the most curious thing of all, we take for granted that what will surprise you most is the water that comes out in a totally natural way, at 74ºC. The fountain is a characteristic of the village, and for good reason, since it has been in Caldes since the sixteenth century (although it was restored in 1927).

Surely now you will understand better the reason for the slogan of the village:
“Caldes, el poble que bull”
which translated into Spanish means
“Caldes, the town that boils”.
.

For the locals, it is tradition to go to the fountain and run their hand (quickly, obviously) through the water. You may even find some neighbors bottling water for personal use. The truth is that the company
Santmartí Pastes
uses the thermal water to make the paste.

Termes Romanes

The Plaça de la Font del Lleó brings together some of the most impressive and important sites of the municipality, as it is located in the center of town and has always been the meeting place. That is why, since you will already be there, you cannot miss the opportunity to visit the Roman baths, which date back to the 1st century BC….

Several excavations have been made in the square, and the existence of more thermal pools has been confirmed, although today you will only be able to see a part of what they were.

In addition, it is necessary to say that they are one of the best preserved Roman baths in the whole Iberian Peninsula.

The Romans definitely chose a great place to locate, it couldn’t have been easier for them to build thermal pools!

Parc de Can Rius

After having admired the Roman baths of Caldes, head to the Parc de Can RiusYou can access it by crossing a bridge, and you can choose whether you want to go over the old bridge (from the 13th century) or the modern one, which will allow you to photograph the historic bridge and enjoy the views.

Once you have done this, you will arrive at the park. There is plenty of space to rest, have a drink and play (with children and dogs, as the latter have a reserved space).

Gorg dels Pèlags

Once you have done all this, we are convinced that you will feel like a cool swim or visit one of the best pools and waterfalls in the area … and as we have already said, Caldes has a lot to offer: also this gorg.

At the exit of the Parc de Can Rius there is a traffic circle, and one of the streets is
Red Tower Street
. Following the signs you will come to an intersection (the Roure Gros), from which you must continue upwards towards the red tower. Although in this area it seems that the path gets a little complicated, being careful not to slip, you will arrive safe and sound at your destination, which is halfway along the path: the gorg dels Pèlags. To find the deviation halfway that will take you to the gorg, you can be guided from the route that you can see on the map at the beginning of this post, as well as you can easily find a sign along the route indicating the deviation in a wide curve to the left.

Although it is not common to swim in this gorg (only for the brave), you can enjoy a perfect bath or take some beautiful pictures of the place.

Iberian Village and Red Tower

torre roja caldes

After you have relaxed and reenergized, the adventure continues.

Since you have already started to learn about the evolution of the village, you cannot miss one of the most important parts: the Iberian settlement.

To get there, you will have to go to the Red Tower: a ruined building located a few kilometers from the village, which served as a watchtower a few centuries ago.

You can discover the remains of what was an Iberian settlement, inhabited between the 5th century BC to the 1st century AD, when it is believed that the village was abandoned to move to the lower part.

Caldes is heavily influenced by the Romans, and the Iberian people were not spared from the clutches of the Empire either: what was the nucleus of the town was Romanized in the 2nd century BC.

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