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SITGES
Sitges has always been a place which has enchanted artists,
tourists and visitors from all over the world. For many, the secret
lies in its light and almost 300 days of sun that it enjoys every year,
which attracted the painters, sculptors and writers who settled here
at the end of the 19th century.
Nature has indeed been generous to Sitges with its setting in an
outstanding location on the Mediterranean coast at the foot of the
Garraf Massif. Its cultural heritage is extraordinary, with a lively art
scene and its traditions are respected with a modern perspective.
Sitges has preserved important features both from mediaeval times
and from its history as an old fishing town, enabling visitors to enjoy
a notable architectural heritage. Moreover, it is a cosmopolitan town
which has attracted residents from more than 70 nations.
Yet now it is time to look forward and Sitges in the 21st century,
whilst mindful of its roots, is focused on innovation and creativity.
Our wish is for Sitges to remain an attractive and seductive town.
To achieve this we are working in three closely connected areas:
tourism, creativity and art.
So whether you seek the Sitges of our forbears or the 21st
century Sitges that we are shaping little by little, we invite you to
discover in these pages what it is that charms you about our town.
We look forward to welcoming you,
Jordi Baijet i Vidal
Mayor of Sitges
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Location .06
An outstanding location between
the sea and the mountains
Nature .12
Beaches: much more than sun, sea and sand
Garraf Natural Park: an unexpected treasure near the sea
Culture .18
From a fishing town to the centre of Catalan Art Nouveau
The art that permeates every corner
Architecture: from the Americanos to the 21st century
Traditions, activities and celebrations throughout the year
Facilities .44
Accommodation: quality and diversity
Meetings in style
Best sitges .56
Outstanding and varied shopping
Gastronomic capital of Garraf
Leisure .66
An ideal setting for active tourism
Life in the street
Calendar .70
Agència de promoció turisme de sitges .80
Central booking office
Useful addresses and telephone numbers
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“Sitges is a light and small town.
but it borders on the Indies of the Viceroys to the East,
on the Roman coasts and Greek Islands to the West,
on Andalusia and Morocco to the South,
and on the Mairie de Montmartre to the North.”
Huésped del Mar
(Guest of the Sea), 1945
César González-Ruano
BARCELONA
SITGES
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LOCATION
An outstanding location between
the sea and the mountains
Sitges, situated to the south of Barcelona, belongs to the
county of Garraf and is surrounded by the sea and mountains, along 18 km of Mediterranean coast, most of which is
made up of beaches. Its seafront Promenade is more than
3 km long, from the Baluard (the small square in front of
the church that forms a spectacular vantage point) to the
residential area of Terramar.
Sitges covers an area of 43.7 km2, at an altitude of 10
metres, and is situated 35 km south of Barcelona, to which
it is connected by excellent road, motorway and railway
links. Barcelona International Airport is just 15 km away.
Sitges nestles at the southern edge of the Garraf Massif, a calcareous mountain chain that constitutes a natural
barrier against the cold northern winds. This outstanding
location means that Sitges enjoys its own microclimate,
with mild summers and winters, an average temperature of
18.7ºC and more than 300 days of sun each year.
Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla church
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Ribera Promenade
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Balmins Cove
NATURE
Beaches:
much more than sun,
sea and sand
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A total of 17 beaches stretch along the Sitges coastline, each with
its own character and offering excellent amenities. Each beach has
its own feel: there are small and peaceful coves, wide fine sand family beaches, or urban beaches with views of the historical centre,
situated right next to the promenade for easy access on foot.
Six of Sitges’ beaches have been awarded the ISO 14001 quality assurance certification in acknowledgement of their exemplary
environmental management and continuous improvement plan, the
good quality of their water and sand, and their cleaning and lifesaving services.
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Ribera Beach
Without a doubt, one of the town’s main attractions are
its beaches, where visitors can get in touch with nature
and mix with the locals.
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Garraf
Natural Park:
an unexpected
treasure
near the sea
The natural park is a magnificent place to visit with its exotic, rocky landscape, its many underground cavities formed
by the action of the water on the calcareous stone and a
surface scored by dry streams wedged between the rocks,
known as fondos. Its noteworthy peaks include La Morella,
at 594.6 m and El Rascler, at 572 m.
The park has its own flora and is the northernmost area
in Europe where the Mediterranean palm fan grows, which
is the park’s most characteristic plant species.
This green lung can be discovered through the activities organised by various local companies, such as guided
routes, workshops, observatories and field work.
The Sakya Tashi Ling Buddhist monastery is located in
the Garraf Natural Park and provides meditation, relaxation, tai-chi and yoga workshops. The Novella Palace and
Museum is also to be found here and displays the heritage
of a Catalan family that made its fortune in Spain’s American colonies, along with an exhibition on Tibetan culture.
Garraf Natural Park
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CULTURE
From a fishing town to the
centre of Catalan Art Nouveau
In mediaeval times, Sitges was a small fishing town. Life
was organised around the Baluard hill, where the parish
church, hospital, cemetery and a small group of houses,
were all located within an enclosure, which was connected to the rest of the town by a bridge at the top of Major
Street. There are references that point to the existence of
several gateways that closed off Nou, Tacó, Carreta, Aigua
and Davallada streets, as well as a series of towers, possibly built in the 14th century, which proves that the entire
town was walled.
Centuries later, and on the initiative of artists, cultural movers and shakers, and patrons of the arts, such as Santiago
Rusiñol, Ramon Casas, Miquel Utrillo or Charles Deering,
Sitges became a focal point for the spread of Modernisme (Catalan Art Nouveau). In the 19th and 20th centuries, Sitges welcomed painters, sculptors, musicians and
intellectuals, who left an imprint on the town that has been
maintained by the townsfolk to this day.
Old fishermen’s houses
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Cau Ferrat
Museum, former
home and workshop of Santiago
Rusiñol
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El Pati Blau (The blue Patio)
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Today, Sitges is renowned for its heritage and cosmopolitan character, attracting people involved in art and culture
from all over the world.
Cloister of the Palau Maricel (Maricel Palace)
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The art that
permeates every
corner
Art permeates the old quarter in many forms, with its enticing narrow stone-paved streets for strolling along and
enjoying by day or night.
El Racó de la Calma (The Quiet Corner) is a magic spot
that takes us back to the Catalan Art Nouveau period, with
extremely valuable representative elements of architecture
and the decorative arts. Cau Ferrat, the home and workshop of the painter and writer Santiago Rusiñol, and the Maricel Museum are two centres that show the intense cultural
life of the town during the 19th and 20th centuries, with
works by renowned painters and sculptors such as Picasso, Casas, Nonell, Mas i Fontdevila, Llimona, Zuloaga or El
Greco, as well as one of the best wrought iron collections
in Europe. The Can Llopis Romàntic Museum, housed in a
Neoclassical building, takes us back in time and shows us
what the life of a well-off Sitges family was like in the 19th
century. It is also the home of Lola Anglada’s antique doll
collection, one of the best in the world.
El Racó de la Calma (The Quiet Corner)
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Art galleries
The driving force of art has been passed down from
generation to generation in Sitges. Sitges continues to
thrive culturally, which is clear to see in its many public
and private cultural facilities.
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Exhibition centres
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Façades along Ribera Promenade
Architecture:
from the Americanos
to the 21st century
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An interesting set of architectural gems and outstanding buildings can be discovered by strolling around Sitges’ streets. By
starting at the railway station and taking in Francesc Gumà, Sant
Isidre and Illa de Cuba streets, along with Ribera Promenade, we
come across some of the most significant houses of the period
of the Americanos, the Sitges townsfolk who emigrated to Cuba
and Puerto Rico between the 18th century and the first third of
the 20th century in order to seek their fortunes. On their return
they built stunning mansions in a mixture of styles encompassing Neoclassicism, Catalan Art Nouveau and post Art Nouveau.
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In Cap de la Vila Square, the town’s nerve centre, the
Clock House, in a Catalan Art Nouveau style, can be
found on the corner of Major Street, which leads to the
Town Hall, the Old Market and the Santiago Rusiñol Library. Situated next to the library is En Bosch Street,
the oldest road in the town, which preserves a fragment
of the mediaeval wall and an interesting set of stone
houses including the Palau del Rei Moro (Palace of the
Moorish King).
And, overlooking the sea, we find Saint Bartholomew’s
church and the Baluard, the most characteristic symbols of Sitges’ architectural physiognomy and essential
places to visit. From this point, the seafront promenade
leads to places beyond the town centre, such as Vinyet
Chapel and the residential area of Terramar, where interesting colonial buildings can be admired.
New architectural trends have also been adopted in Sitges and can be admired in noteworthy icons.
En Bosch Street
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Vinyet Chapel
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Traditions, activities
and celebrations
throughout the year
Traditional festivals are celebrated with great intensity and a
high level of local participation. Visitors are also welcome to
take part and experience them like the locals.
Sitges’ Main Festival, held in honour of Saint Bartholomew,
the town’s patron saint, from 21st to 27th August, has been
declared a cultural event of national interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Autonomous Regional Government of
Catalonia). It is an explosion of colour, music and joy with
giants, cabezudos (carnival figures with enormous papiermâché heads), fire-breathing animal figures and ancient
dances such as the diables, bastons, gitanes, cercolets or
moixiganga, amongst others. On 23rd August, the entrance
of the grallers (musicians who play the gralla, a Catalan folk
oboe) in Cap de la Vila Square, the fusillade of twenty-one
firecrackers and the peal of bells signal the start of the most
popular acts of the festival which, open to everyone, continues with a series of street processions and spectacular
fireworks from the Baluard. At 6 a.m. the next day the matinal
(early morning performance) takes place, followed by solemn
mass, religious processions, dancing in the street and sardana performances (a traditional Catalan dance).
Fireworks on 23rd August
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Ball de bastons (Stick Dancing)
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The Saint Tecla festival, on 23rd September, known as the
little Main Festival, is just as rich in terms of folkloric variety
and originality and is especially aimed at the town’s children, since it serves as an introduction to local traditions in
which they can play a leading role.
Summers in Sitges are full of activity. The Sitgestiucultura
summer schedule includes guided visits, concerts and recitals in the Cau Ferrat, Maricel and Romàntic museums. There
is also the International Tango Festival and the Summer Concert Season. In fact, Sitges hosts various festivals throughout
the year which give the town character and a reputation for
excellence within the field of culture. Moreover, in 2008, Sitges has promoted this series of festivals under the label of
Sitges, vila de festivals, an initiative which groups the
town’s various cultural events under the same umbrella.
The Festa de la Verema (Wine Harvest Festival), held in
September, is an important celebration of the town’s agricultural tradition. Another tradition that has been revived
by Sitges over the last few years is that of the castellers
(human towers).
Colla Jove Castellers de Sitges
(Sitges’ human tower building team)
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The International Film Festival of Catalonia, of which there
have now been more than 40 editions, is held in October.
The Sitges Carnival is one of the most important in Europe
thanks to its participative and spectacular nature. Its crowning moments are the Disbauxa (Debauchery) and Extermini
(Extermination) parades, which are held on Carnival Sunday
night and Tuesday night respectively.
The Corpus Christi spring festival is world famous
thanks to the artistic floral carpets that cover the town’s
most central streets.
And the International Vintage Car Rally, held in March, is
an authentic moving car museum. Starting off in Barcelona,
the convoy drives along the Garraf coastal road and reaches
the finishing line at Sitges’ Fragata beach, where townsfolk
and visitors cheer its arrival.
Convoy of cars taking part in the Barcelona – Sitges
International Vintage Car Rally
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Facilities
Accommodation:
quality
and diversity
Guests in Sitges’ hotels will feel much better than at home.
The chance to enjoy seafront hotels with wonderful views of
the Mediterranean and top quality service is a real pleasure
for the senses.
The accommodation offer in Sitges has something for
everyone and can meet all requirements: from large hotels belonging to international chains to small family-run
establishments.
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Seafront hotel
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The town has 4 and 5-star hotels in outstanding locations on the seafront or very close to the beach. These
establishments, with attractive interior design, have a
full range of excellent facilities, both for holidays and
business trips. They provide a large variety of top quality
services, along with a gastronomic offer that includes
specialities of Mediterranean and international cuisine
in keeping with their category.
There are also small hotels in Sitges with a cosier atmosphere that are ideal for family breaks. Many of these
charming facilities, which pay attention to the finest detail,
are situated in historical buildings in the town centre and
are all just a few minutes away from the beach.
Hotel facilities
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The Saló d’Or
(Gold Room)
of the Maricel Palace
is an ideal venue for
meetings and
celebrations
Meetings
in style
In an unbeatable setting where the most suitable urban facilities are combined with the advantages of the
Mediterranean coast, Sitges is the perfect place to
host conferences and incentive trips.
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The town’s hotel and restaurant infrastructure, which can
be adapted to all kinds of events, in addition to the leisure activities on offer, make Sitges the right choice for
companies that wish to give their events a touch of class.
Over the last few decades Sitges has become one of
Catalonia’s main conference destinations. Indeed, it is the
top destination for business tourism after Barcelona.
Terramar Golf Club
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Auditorium
As part of the Agència de Promoció Turisme de Sitges, the
Sitges Convention Bureau is a body that groups together the
public and private initiatives of the area in order to maintain
and boost Sitges’ already high profile as a conference and incentive trip destination.
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Company event
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BEST
SITGES
Best Sitges is a quality assurance
label that recognises the establishments which are members of
the Sitges Tourist Shopping and
Gastronomy Club. Each member
establishment can be identified
through the “Best Sitges” sticker
on its window.
Central shopping
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Outstanding
and varied shopping
Shopping is an essential component of Sitges’ tourist
offer thanks to the wide variety and high quality of its
stores. Most stores are small with a family feel and
outstanding products, offering an alternative to conventional shopping. These stores aim to be original
and modern. They also have a lot of freedom in terms
of opening hours and many are open on Sundays and
public holidays.
The main shopping area, focused on fashion and accessories, can be found in the town centre.
The antique dealers in Sitges are particularly worthy
of mention, as are the street markets, such as the one
held every Thursday, which has been set up around the
Town Hall and parish church since the Middle Ages.
The stalls in this market sell clothes and utensils for the
home, amongst other products. The Mercat dels Sentits
(Market of the Senses), situated in the Torreta area, has
various stands that mainly sell handicrafts, fashion jewellery and clothes. It is open every day in the summer and
at the weekends during the winter.
The big brands are also in Sitges
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Gastronomic capital
of Garraf
Sitges enjoys an extraordinary gastronomic offer that includes the very best of the world-renowned Mediterranean
cuisine. Sitges’ cuisine, mainly composed of fish and rice
specialities, as well as the famous xató, along with the
avant-garde proposals of contemporary dishes, offers a
unique experience for the taste buds.
The town has many top class restaurants. Many of them
are members of the Club de Tast, a gourmet food tasting
organisation that aims to guarantee the quality of products
and provide a cuisine in which great attention is paid to
detail. Indeed, the high quality of the dishes served on restaurant tables in Sitges has earned the town a reputation
as the gastronomic capital of Garraf.
The popular xató is a cold dish made with curly endive,
desalted cod chunks, salted tuna, fresh anchovies and arbequina variety olives, served with a sauce made of garlic,
almonds, hazelnuts, fresh anchovies, blanched peppers,
fried bread, spicy nyora pepper, oil, vinegar and salt.
Xató dish
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The renowned quality of the wines with the Garraf
Denomination of Origin label, along with Malvasía, the
sweet wine that is typical of Sitges, made with the grape
variety of the same name and classified as a Slowfood
bastion, also invite us to enjoy the pleasures of the table.
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Malvasia Vines
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Sample of good gastronomic cuisine
Restaurant on Ribera Promenade
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Leisure
An ideal setting for
active tourism
Sitges and the county of Garraf constitute an ideal
setting for active tourism. The sea and mountain environment is ideal for nautical and adventure activities,
discovering nature and practising all kinds of sports.
There are many maritime activities on offer in Sitges, thanks to its 17 beaches and its sports ports:
Aiguadolç, Garraf and Port Ginesta (the largest in
Catalonia). In addition to this, imaginative and exciting activities are offered by the Sitges Active
Tourism Club. This group of specialised companies
and organisations organises trekking, environmental and educational routes, along with thematic tours
around Garraf Natural Park. The park’s interpretation centre also offers various activities in order to
discover the area and even has activities designed
for the disabled.
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Various companies organise
nautical activities
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Life
in the street
For relaxing, seeing and being seen, or simply whiling
away the hours, the town’s streets and squares are dotted with cafés, bars and ice cream parlours with a wide
variety of styles and atmospheres. Whether facing the
sea or right in the heart of the town, the terraces of
Sitges’ cafés and bars are always attractive venues for
taking in the hustle and bustle of the street and observing local life.
Throughout the year, Sitges’ bars and terraces offer
a great atmosphere by day and night.
Along Marquès de Montroig and Primer de Maig
streets, which run between the central Parellades
Street and the Ribera Promenade, there are an extraordinary number of music bars with outdoor tables where
young people have fun until the early hours, especially
during the summer. The chill-out bars are ideal for relaxing while world famous DJs spin the latest dance
music in the discotheques.
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Terraces in Aiguadolç Port
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CALENDAR
SPRING
SUMMER
AUTUMN
WINTER
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SPRING
Patchwork Fair
Easter
Saint George. Book and Rose Festival
Corpus Christi Festival
Floral Carpet Competition
National Carnation Exhibition
Bonsai Exhibition
Music and Dance Festival
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Corpus Christi floral carpet
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SUMMER
Concerts de Mitjanit de Sitges
(Sitges Midnight Concerts) International Festival
Season of concerts by the Joventuts Musicals de
Sitges (Sitges Musical Youth)
Season of Sardana Performances
Sitgestiucultura
Activities in museums and in the Maricel Palace
Sitges International Tango Festival
Vila de Sitges International Chess Open
Celebrations in Vinyet Chapel
Saint Bartholomew. Sitges’ Main Festival
Sitges Summer Stock Fair
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Gegants de la Vila (Giants of the Town)
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AUTUMN
Festa de la Verema
(Wine Harvest Festival)
Wine sampling
Saint Tecla. Children’s Main Festival
Menjar de Tast. Gastronomic Festival
International Film Festival of Catalonia
Tots Sants Festival
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Session of the Sitges International Film
Festival of Catalonia
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WINTER
Christmas
Parade of the Three Kings
Sitges Half Marathon
Carnival
Antiques Fair
Sitges Art Fair
Sitges Winter Stock Fair
Barcelona – Sitges Vintage Car Rally
Enduro World Championship Trial
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Carnival parade
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AGÈNCIA DE PROMOCIÓ
TURISME DE SITGES
The Agència de Promoció Turisme de Sitges assists visitors directly at three information points located in different parts of the town, where in addition to gaining information on Sitges, visitors can also make hotel bookings,
book cultural tours, such as the Americanos Route or the
Catalan Art Nouveau Route, and find out everything they
need to know about the Catalunya Bus Turístic, which
passes through Sitges and visits the Torres Winery and
the emblematic mountains of Montserrat.
CENTRAL BOOKING OFFICE
Bookings can be made for any of Sitges’ hotels on the
www.sitgestur.com website. There is supplementary information on culture, gastronomy, shopping, leisure, business stays and active tourism.
Cannon situated in Baluard Square
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USEFUL ADDRESSES
AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Agència de Promoció Turisme de Sitges
(+34) 938 109 340 / 902 103 428
www.sitgestur.com / info@sitgestur.com
Sínia Morera, núm. 1
Central Booking Office
www.sitgestur.com
Oasis information tourist point
(+34) 938 109 340 / 902 103 428
Sínia Morera, núm. 1
La Fragata information tourist point
(+34) 938 110 611
Passeig de la Ribera, La Fragata
Station information tourist point
Eduard Maristany square
Sitges Convention Bureau
(+34) 938 109 311 / 902 103 428 /
www.sitgescb.cat / info@sitgescb.cat
Sínia Morera, núm. 1
Best Sitges Club for Shopping
and Gastronomic Products
(+34) 938 109 340 / 902 103 428 /
www.bestsitges.cat / info@bestsitges.cat
Sínia Morera, núm. 1
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Garraf Beach
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