SITGES Un Recorrido por sus Encantos y Tradiciones /EL PUEBLO MAS CARO DE ESPAÑA

Sitges is a Spanish municipality and town in the province of Barcelona, ​​in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Part of the Garraf region, the town is located on the Mediterranean coast, 38 km south of the provincial capital, Barcelona. Its population in 2017 was 28,527 (INE). Its economy is based on tourism and culture, with numerous hotel rooms and events such as the Sitges Film Festival. Sitges is a significant destination for LGBT tourism, as well as hosting congresses, conferences, seminars, and business meetings. The town's main economic activity was farming and vineyards, especially Malvasia, the grape variety still used to make the famous Sitges Malvasia wine. Other crops included wheat, vegetable gardens, carob trees, and the heart of palm, the symbol of Garraf. Since 1345, when Villafranca del Penedès requested authorization to establish a port in Sitges, the town became the international trading hub for products from the Penedès. It has a significant tourist infrastructure, with amenities and three marinas (Puerto de Ginesta, Garraf, and Aiguadolç). It is the town with the most marinas in Spain, with Port Ginesta being the largest marina in Europe. According to an article dedicated to European travel, published in the New York Times Style Magazine at the end of August and entitled "Smitten with Sitges," the best urban beach in Europe is in Sitges. Alexander Lobrano compares Sitges to Saint Tropez, Ibiza, Capri, and the island of Hvar in Croatia. Sitges has been called the Saint Tropez of Spain, both for its beauty and for being the municipality with the third most expensive property prices in Europe. Before tourism, the town's trade focused on fishing and later on shoemaking, economic activities that have disappeared (except for small workshops).