2023-02-05

Palau Maricel - Sitges

A Sunday in Sitges is really a 'sun' day. A beautiful day to visit a palace just like in fairy tales: elegant outside and spectacular inside, boasting terraces with undulating rooftops and a cloister with panoramic views of the Mediterranean Sea. And the Catalan name couldn't be any prettier either: Palau de Maricel.

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Palau Maricel - Sitges

Okay, let's go to the Racó de la Calma - also Catalan for "the quiet corner" - in the oldest part of Sitges, behind the stately church at the beginning of the boulevard. It is without doubt the most beautiful and most photographed part of the city. On this small square you will find the spectacular entrance gate of the Maricel Palace. This gate gives you access to a must-see in Sitges.

A bit of history and a few important names. The Maricel Palace was built between 1910 and 1918 by the artist and engineer Miquel Utrillo, commissioned by the American tycoon, art collector and philanthropist Charles Deering, who fell in love with Sitges (who wouldn't?) after a visit.

Encompassing many different styles, the Maricel Palace has its origins in Noucentisme (or eclectic art), an early 20th-century Catalan cultural movement that emerged as a reaction against modernism.

Entrance Palau Maricel

Entrance Palau Maricel

The spectacular decorations of the most important rooms are permeated with Noucentism: the ´Saló d 'Or´ (Golden room), the ´Saló Blau´ (Blue room), the chapel room, the ships room, the wave-shaped terraces on top of the flat roof or the cloister (from where you can enjoy the panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea).

Saló d´Or

ceiling Saló Blau

Chapel room

staircase  

rooftop terrace

view at the church belltowers from the rooftop terrace

the cloister

the cloister

spectacular view at the Mediterranean sea

The Maricel Palace is not only a feast for the eyes, it is also a regular setting for concerts and cultural events. Ah... and wedding ceremonies too. Can you imagine a better place than this spectacular palace to get married :)

website Sitges Museums


Next blogpost

2025-07-31

Big heads and even bigger stories – the Capgrossos of Catalonia

A narrow village street, the sound of drums and flutes, and a parade of people dressed up with exaggerated, large heads—Capgrossos—who wink at children and tease the audience with theatrical gestures. In Catalonia, these "large heads" are as much a part of a Festa Major (summer festival) as the Gegants (giants), Castells (human castles), or the fireworks spectacle of Correfoc (running fire). But listening to their story reveals not only the laughter of the parade but also a long history of ritual, identity, and regional pride.

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