Walter Benjamin Memorial, in Portbou, Girona, Costa Brava

The monument is called ‘Passages’, referring to unfinished Benjamin’s last work: Passagen Werk, begun in 1927, a collection of citations and fragments that showed the different types of human transient to awake them from their own conscious absorption.

Portbou village remembers through this plaque the place where Walter Benjamin died, in the ancient Hostal Francia

The monument consists of a tunnel formed by steel plates with an oxidized red color, which adapts to the rocky environment that surrounds Portbou landscape, shaped by the north wind, the Tramuntana, which blows sometimes furiously.

As long as the visitor goes down through the tunnel he feels the effect of the solitude of their steps until the moment when he arrives to the end light, striking a lookout towards the Bay of Portbou.

In the interior of the cemetery, a few meters away of the tunnel, it is possible to visit the ancient Walter Benjamin tomb, from the time he died until 1945, when the body was buried in a common grave.

Mas Pinc, in Begur, Girona, Costa Brava

But also the story of Mas Pinc is closely linked to life, and especially death, of the best spanish Flamenco dancer of all times: Carmen Amaya. Born in Barcelona in 1913, in the poor neighborhood of Somorrostro, she had a huge international recognition.

Carmen Amaya, the best flamenco dancer who died in Mas Pinc

In 1961 Carmen Amaya purchased Mas Pinc to live in. She was passionated by the Costa Brava, and she had and active participation in village life until a kidney disease ended with her life. The great artist died in one room of Mas Pinc, surrounded by her family, November 19th, 1963. The funeral, held in Begur, gathered a lot of flamenco fans and artists who wanted to give their last goodbye to the dancer who revolutionized the Flamenco art.

Young Carmen Amaya portrait

Over time, Mas Pinc villa has passed into the hands of the municipality of Begur. Currently, it is the home of Nereo Foundation, an environmental organization whose main objective is the preservation of the Ses Negres area, a coastline piece of Begur extending from the bay of Sa Riera to Aiguafreda creek, near which shipping and fishing is strictly prohibited.

Mas Pinc has a tower defence from piracy from the XVIIth century

You can visit the interior of Mas Pinc, where you’ll find some memories of Carmen Amaya and an exhibition of the marine life in Ses Negres. Inside the home you will see also the door of 1.30 meters x 0.64 meters leading to the original tower defense, 12.30 meters high.

The area around Mas Pinc is also very interesting from a natural point of view. The Mas Pinc garden, opened freely to the public, has been conditioned by the Foundation Nereo as a modest botanical garden where the most important plants of the western Mediterranean are represented. Also in Mas Pinc begins a nice forest trail, crossing a wooded area known as Es Quinze, that leads to Aiguafreda Creek in about 45 minutes. A car parking is offered free to the visitors in front of the farmhouse.

Around Mas Pinc, in the Es Quinze wood, starts a trail to Aiguafreda cove

Undoubtedly Mas Pinc, and its surroundings, is one of the most important points of interest in all Begur.