Sara Bonet Mola | Barcelona a town near Girona in northeastern Catalonia proclaims itself the world capital of ratafia This ambitious title acknowledges years of efforts to recover and popularize this alcoholic beverage a sweet liqueur made from brandy and a mixture of over 50 herbs it is left to macerate for 40 days in the sun although it is filtered at least a couple of times.   but rather as a celebration of the region's rural roots What is interesting about ratafia is that it has managed to go from a drink primarily enjoyed by rural farmers to one that is now enjoyed by Gen Z too as both older and newer generations have come to value this symbol of Catalan tradition.  There is no  trace of ratafia's exact origins since it has been passed down from generation to generation and evolved as a recipe it is believed to have originated in medieval Europe as a medicinal tonic containing herbs and alcohol before eventually becoming a sweet liqueur enjoyed as a digestif The growing popularity of this beverage is reflected in the ratafia festival held every November in Santa Coloma a non-profit organization that aims to preserve the traditional beverage told this media outlet that edition after edition the festival gathers more and more people  – 50,000 at the most recent one – from all parts of the territory with the town now trying to make it a part of its appeal to tourists The main event over this crowded weekend is the contest where an expert jury tastes the ratafia participants prepare throughout the season requiring a family recipe passed down from generation to generation and often shrouded in secrecy.  The town also hosts ‘El Mercat de les Herbes’ the first weekend of May a fair in which people can buy all the herbs required to make the drink and participate in many activities and workshops related to herbalism who has been preparing this liqueur for over 50 years and now finds the process difficult due to her age enjoys teaching her tips and tricks to anyone who is interested "recipes vary slightly from family to family but the essence lies in finding a balance among the more than 50 herbs that are infused."  She is happy to see how the number of bottles submitted to the annual contest has grown "It's fabulous that there is a group of people who want to learn because they keep the tradition alive many young people didn't even know its name and now it's a big fair." In the first years there were only between 12 and 18 bottles submitted in the contest and "being able to have up to 214 in the latest editions is a great source of pride," she adds Young people's willingness to carry on the tradition is key to the success of the drink's social recognition according to Ciseta Camps and Laia Jiménez and Pau Torra are an example of this phenomenon This group of young people founded La Sobirana a cooperative born in 2018 to bring this sweet beverage to as many people as possible that also produces its own ratafia which can be found in many local stores.  Although they celebrate that this liqueur has become fashionable they want to distance themselves from a reductionist view that understands the fondness of ratafia simply because it is a typical Catalan drink "We would like everything behind the drink to be understood the link with the landscape and the use of the environment to make it increasingly prestigious," they state with its president emphasizing the importance of keeping the essence of this liqueur alive throughout the year taking advantage of the fact that its production is closely linked to the changing seasons has also participated in keeping the tradition alive.  During his first official meeting with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez in 2018, Torra presented him with a bottle of the aforementioned beverage as a gift. In subsequent interviews with the media, Torra explained the significance of the gift, stating that it is "a symbol of how to care for the country and its landscapes." While the beverage has gained popularity in recent years, for the inhabitants of Santa Coloma de Farners, it is not simply a trend, but rather an ode to their land and roots. Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone MICFootball will be played on 56 fields in 40 towns on the Costa Brava. These are record numbers for an edition, that of 2024, which will break all records, exceeding 400 teams for the first time. Figueres will once again host the opening and some of the finals on Saturday while the outcome of the rest of the categories will take place in Palamós during the weekend Banyoles will be the municipality in charge of hosting the Pre-MICFootball matches for another year an event that will once again serve to warm up the engines of faces at the MIC Maçanet de la Selva and Vilamalla) are added to the towns that repeat the experience lived in previous years: Bàscara Some of the municipalities have increased the number of fields that will host MICFootball matches in 2024 Marca de l’Ham and Albert Gurt stadiums; The matches in Girona will be on the fields of Gironès – Sàbat Fontajau (home of the women’s category) and Torres de Palau; The Palafrugell duels will be at the Josep Pla i Arbonès municipal stadium and at the Gregal; The action in Roses will take place in Mas Oliva and La Vinyasa; while Salt distributes its matches between the Penya Bons Aires and Comacros fields Copyright © 2025 MICFOOTBALL | Aviso legal y Política de privacidad Do you have some question? We are here to help you! Sorry, this product is unavailable. Please choose a different combination. In Spain as a whole, a similar situation prevailed. Indeed, second-hand housing units sold in March account for 75.8% of total sales: 20,683 of the 27,280 properties sold were previously owned, while only the remaining 6,597 were new builds. All Catalan provinces registered an annual increase for house sales except Tarragona All Catalan provinces registered an annual increase for house sales in March with the exception of Tarragona. Barcelona Province recorded an outstanding 15.66% annual growth, while Lleida and Girona recorded a 9.8% and 2.7% increase, respectively. In Tarragona, house sales dropped in annual terms by 8.2%. In Barcelona Province (where two-thirds of Catalans live), a total of 3,028 housing units were sold in March. Out of these, 656 were new properties (a 13.68% annual drop) and the remaining 2,372 had been previously owned (+27.66% in annual terms). With regard to the type of residence, 2.570 were on the open market and only 458 were sold as social housing. The Province of Lleida (western Catalonia) closed March 2015 with a total number of 212 housing units sold. 56 of them were new properties, sales of which registered a 30% annual drop. The remaining 156 had been previously owned, amounting to 73.6% of total sales and registering a 9.84% increase in annual terms. With regard to the type of residence, 193 were on the open market and 19 were sold as social housing. In the Province of Girona (north-eastern Catalonia, where the Costa Brava is located), a total of 602 housing units was sold in March. Out of these, 118 were new builds (a 40.4% annual drop) and the remaining 484 - 80.4% of the total - had been previously built (+24.74% in annual terms). With regard to the type of residence, 577 were sold on the open market and 25 were social housing. Lastly, the Province of Tarragona (southern Catalonia, where the Costa Daurada is located) closed March 2015 with a total number of 492 housing units sold. 107 of them were new properties, sales of which registered a 49.05% annual drop. The other 385 were previously owned properties, amounting to 78.3% of total sales. With regard to the type of residence, 468 were on the open market and only 24 were sold as social housing.