Gumbo’s Pic of the Day, Oct. 5, 2014: Tossa de Mar, Spain

The last fortified hill town remaining on the coast of Catalonia, Tossa de Mar is a beach town, popular with visitors from Girona and Barcelona. The old town (vila vella in Catalan) lies within 12th-century walls just adjoining the beach. The hill on which the old town grew used to be topped by a castle, but that has been replaced by an operating lighthouse.

The town’s origins date to the 9th century, but there have likely been people in the area back to neolithic times. Inside the walls, the streets are winding, and many of the houses have shops on the ground floor. There’s also a museum, featuring artists who summered in the area, mostly in the 1930s, including Chagall.

There’s also a second beach, much smaller than the main one. It’s at the bottom of the hill, and can be reached only by climbing down from the Vila Vella.