Delfià: Romanesque Church, Trails and Peaks

Culture and History

Sant Romà de Delfià is a simply designed Romanesque church from the 11th century, possibly from its second half. It is visible about 300 metres southwest of the hamlet of Delfià. The church stands on the elevated ground of a low ridge that forms an extension of Puig de Costoja. Located between the Orlina River and the road from Rabós to Garriguella, Sant Romà is situated where architectural form, location and landscape come together.

Castillo de Perelada, a castle, is located in the surroundings of Delfià. Also in the surroundings are Escola d'Art J. Martínez Lozano, a museum, Museu de Aquarel J Martínez Lozano, a museum, and Museu de la Tècnica de l'Empordà, a museum. The four destinations bring one castle and three museums into the same geographical setting, but are clearly distinguished by their respective types of institution.

Butterfly Park Empuriabrava is also located in the surroundings of Delfià and is a zoo. The zoo adds another distinct type of institution to the castle and museums.

Landscape

Platja de Grifeu, a beach, is also located in the surroundings of Delfià. Puig del Llop and Puig d'Esquers are likewise in the surroundings; both are peaks. The beach and the peaks represent different forms of landscape: Platja de Grifeu belongs to the first, and Puig del Llop and Puig d'Esquers to the second.

Trails and Markers

The Via Domitia Camí Sant Jaume trail leads from Rabós via Pla de Boterós and Pla d’Helena to Delfià. Its course names a starting point, two intermediate points and Delfià as the destination. The trail is marked with the yellow arrows of the Way of St. James, as well as the yellow horizontal markers of the Itinerànnia trail network. Both marking systems use yellow, but differ in the shape of their arrows and their horizontal orientation. For a route with named intermediate points, current trail conditions and the applicable markers should be checked before setting out. The combination of yellow arrows and horizontal signs requires attention to the respective shape of the marker.

The route “Gariguella - Rabós - Delfia” reaches Delfià by turning left at the junction of the Espolla–Garriguella road onto the road to Delfià. The turn-off is therefore at a specifically named junction between the Espolla–Garriguella road and the road to Delfià.

Festivals

The Festa de Delfià includes traditional Sardanas and a shared evening meal. At the Festa de Delfià, the church was opened once a year. The event combines the traditional Sardanas, the shared meal and the annual opening of Sant Romà de Delfià. If you plan to attend a Festa, the event date and the times of individual programme items should be checked in advance. This particularly concerns the annual opening of the church, whose date is connected with the festival.

Location

Delfià is situated on the local road leading from Vilajuïga to the Campmany bridge, which connects to the N‑II.

For the higher-level travel overview: Rabós.