Olot, the capital of the Garrotxa region, is a place where you can enjoy rural tourism, combined with a spectacular natural landscape where the protagonists are volcanoes. It's located on the banks of the River Fluvià, within the Natural Park of the Volcanic Zone of La Garrotxa.
This park has a set of more than 30 volcanoes but, there is nothing to worry about, as they are inactive.
Did you know that Olot has four of those volcanoes? Their names are the Bisaroques, the Garrinada, Montolivet and the Montsacopa. You can visit these last two. The latter is about 10 minutes from the urban centre, which you can reach by crossing the streets while following the signs.
Along the way, there are two old watchtowers from the 19th century, known as Torres de Sant Francesc, in addition to the homonymous hermitage, which houses a small chapel.
Do you want to know its origin and heritage? Well, although it's an old medieval town, there are few remains of the time, since, in the fifteenth century, several earthquakes occurred, derived from volcanic activity, destroying much of that heritage.
Until this day, some examples of this time remain, such as the Carme Convent, built in the 16th century around an impressive cloister currently being the headquarters of the Olot School of Arts and Crafts.
Another medieval building of Cultural Interest is the Church of San Esteve, built on the 12th-century Romanesque structure. It was modified over time until the 18th century with elements of the neoclassical style.
If we go ahead a little more in time, we can trace a route through the modernist buildings that are distributed throughout the urban area. Some of the examples are the Casa Gassiot, the Casa Solà Morales or the Casa Gaietà-Vila.
Olot also has in its heritage manor houses such as the Can Trincheria House Museum, which exemplifies the life of wealthy people in the 18th century and, if we go to the outskirts, we will find Mas Ventós within the Garrotxa natural park.
Olot also has an artistic and cultural facet where all kinds of artistic expressions, such as paintings or sculptures, are exhibited in the Museo de la Garrotxa.
After a long tourist trip in its heritage, how about a stop on the way to eat? Although Olot has many popular dishes, here, the one who takes the cake is what is known as volcanic cuisine. It's that such a fertile land provides this town with a great assortment of garden products.
One of its most outstanding dishes that you can taste is the Olot potatoes. It is stuffed with meat that is later fried in oil.
What do its inhabitants do? There is still a part that comes from agriculture and industry, especially textiles. The service sector is the main engine of the economy. It has a wide range of hotels and rural tourism that provide accommodation for all tastes.
