Sitges Tourist Attractions
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Sitges, lying on the Costa Dorada between Barcelona and Tarragona, is one of the oldest seaside resorts on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. It has suffered less from mass tourism than other Spanish resorts, and still attracts a clientele of summer visitors with cultural interests as well as money. Many well-to-do Barcelona families have a second home in Sitges. G. K. Chesterton was a frequent visitor and created his famous character Father Brown here.
Museu Cau Ferrat
In 1891 the painter and art collector Santiago Rusiñol bought two houses in Sitges and attracted numbers of other artists and admirers to the town, which then became known as a center of culture and as a bathing resort. His house near the Baroque church of Santa María, Cau Ferrat, is now a museum, with his large collection of Catalan Art Nouveau paintings (including works by El Greco and Picasso) and drawings.
Museu Maricel de Mar
Adjoining the Museu Cau Ferrat is the Museu Maricel de Mar (opened 1970), with the collection of Jesús Pérez Rosales, a conglomeration of furniture, glass, porcelain and other objects ranging in date from the Middle Ages to modern times. Of particular interest are wall paintings by the Catalan artist José María Sert.
Museu Romàntic
The Museu Romàntic, housed in the Casa Llopis, a late 18th century mansion, displays period furniture and other objects.
Lola Anglada Collection
On the upper floor of the Museu Romàntic is the Lola Anglada Collection of dolls of the 17th-19th centuries in a great variety of materials.
Sport and Recreation
Within the territory of Sitges are the three boating harbors of Aiguadolç, Garraf and Port Ginesta and a sailing club; for bathers there are 4km/ 2.5mi of well maintained beaches; and other sporting facilities include a golf club and tennis courts.
Film Festival
An International Film Festival specializing in science fiction films is held annually in Sitges at the beginning of October.
Surroundings
Vilanova i La Geltru
A short distance to the southwest of Sitges lies the busy commercial center of Vilanova i La Geltrú.
Castell
In the Castell (13th C. castle) there is a museum of art.
Casa Papiol
The Casa Papiol on the Carrer Major, with all its upper-class furnishings, is now a museum open to the public.
Victor Balaguer Museum
Situated close to the railroad station is the museum named after its founder, the Catalan minister and poet Victor Balaguer (d. 1901) (antiquities; paintings, including an Annunciation by El Greco; a small ethnographic collection).
Museu Curiositats Marineres
Near the harbor, on the Carrer Almiral Cervera, is the novel Museu Curiositats Marineres with all kinds of oddities connected with the sea.
