Girona: the cathedral and the Jewish quarter

Survived almost intact through eight centuries of history, Girona hides behind its medieval walls one of Europe's best-preserved Jewish quarters.

The historic center, perched on a hill, can only be explored on foot, often uphill.

Ninety steps separate the river from the Baroque facade of the Girona Cathedral, whose Gothic nave, wider than twenty-three meters, is among the widest ever built in this style.

Behind it you enter the Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, where stone alleys and narrow staircases have preserved the urban layout practically unchanged since the fifteenth century, when the community was expelled from Spain.

Descending toward the Onyar river you meet the Houses of the Onyar, colored houses built right on the bank, become the most reproduced image of the city on postcards and guides.

Returning toward the walls, a stretch of the Passeig de la Muralla, medieval wallwalk reopened to the public, allows you to look down on both the Jewish quarter and the roofs of the center.

Some alleys of the Call were used as a filming location for the city of Braavos in the 'Game of Thrones' series, and it's not uncommon to encounter tourist groups who recognize them only after they've already passed through.

Girona's Jewish community was among Catalonia's most important in the medieval period: today a museum in the heart of the Call reconstructs their daily life through objects found in these very buildings.