Rescued from ruin by architect Anna Noguera, this vacation home rental in Girona highlights the ancient beauty of this 16th-century townhouse with a skillful and subtle restoration. We love the clean, spare spaces, the elegantly employed materials, and the sensitively integrated design that brings the past alive for modern living. Centered within the historic heart of the city, this compound spans over 500 years of history. 

Discovered by Girona native and architect Anna Noguera and her husband, the building was somewhat of a puzzle, with evidence of a long evolution of add ons throughout the centuries. 

The irregular and slightly awkward layout was stripped down to the original stone walls and in the process, Napoleonic munitions, 16th-century household items, and the walls of a 1st-century Roman villa were unearthed. Refashioning the warren of small, maze-like rooms, the building is now a spacious five-bedroom residence (which can be divided into two separate living spaces or rented as a whole).

Read about the art in this home in our Stories here.

Adamant about preserving the historic character of the building, Noguera used modern materials such as concrete and dark steel to complement the traditional stone, oak and terra cotta, reinterpreting the old through a dialogue with the new. 

The smaller El Jardi apartment has been cleverly designed in an open plan with wide living and dining areas and a slim, slate-grey kitchen concealed behind a screen. Across the hallway are two double bedrooms and one bath. Finished in oak floors, glass, and enormous Corten steel doors, juxtaposed with the original exposed stone walls, the ground floor apartment opens out to a wisteria-shaded garden and courtyard with a black concrete plunge pool redesigned from the original cistern.

El Badiu apartment above encompasses the top two floors and is a spacious, light filled space with a large living room with a double-sided fireplace that opens onto the spectacular south-facing veranda, a fully equipped gourmet kitchen and dining space, and views over the old quarter of Girona down to the garden and plunge pool. There is a large en suite master and two junior suites with room for six guests or ten if the entire house is rented.

Showcasing its graceful history, this modern, minimalist make-over is an elegantly crafted homage to the past.       

CATALONIA'S MEDIEVAL CITY & NATURAL PARKLANDS

A small medieval city and university town with fabulous Catalonian restaurants, shops, bars and cafes, historic Girona sits along the River Onyar where the walled Old Quarter (Barri Vell) features the ancient Roman rampart fragments of the Vella fortress woven through the tiny streets and alleyways. 

Bordered to the north by the beautiful and protected Garrotxa region and to the south by the Gavarres national park and the Costa Brava, the area is surrounded by some of Catalonia's most breathtaking natural beauty. When headed to the Costa Brava don’t miss El Canadell, a hidden gem of a  beach in the picturesque fishing village of Calella de Palafrugell.

The area is also home to the authentic and picturesque medieval towns of  Besalu, Figueres (home of surrealist painter Salvador Dali), Santa Pau, Castellfollit de la Roca, Olot and Alta, all in less than an hour's drive. Going back over two thousand years, the ancient Roman Road route is a fascinating drive through the region. The attractive French market town of Perpignan is just over an hour north and the medieval town of Vic is an hour west along the breathtaking (c25) road. Both the ski resorts of the Pyrenees and Barcelona are within an hour's drive in either direction.

LOCATION

Girona, Spain. Nearest Airport: Girona-Costa Brava Airport (17km)

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring through Fall