The Garraf region, situated in the cost line between the Mediterranean, la plana del Penedés and the Garraf mountains, is integrated by the cities of Sitges, Sant Pere de Ribes, Cubelles, Olivella, Canyelles and its capital Vilanova i la Geltrú, one of the most important fishing ports in Catalunya. With a territory of extraordinary diversity of sites and views, the wind and the passing of time have had fun on this landscape, wasting out the mountains and converting the Garraf cost into abrupt cliffs that collapse into the sea, small secret coves and twenty five kilometers of fine sand beaches. The Garraf Park, the Park of Olèrdola and the Park of the Foix are authentic natural treasures that one cannot let pass by without discovering. It’s being a region between sea and mountain, we find, in its central sector, the agricultural valley, where wine has been elaborated for over 2000 years. The Iberians were the first inhabitants of the region and the precursors in the wine elaboration which they sold to the towns of the Mediterranean cost in exchange for cereal and other alimentary products. Nowadays the viticulturists of the region produce excellent wines and cavas with Protected Designation of Origin from the region of Penedès and count with a peculiar malmsey wine, a genuine variety of Sitges which, according to the legend, an almogavaren cavalier was in charge of bringing the vines of this grape from the Greek island of Monembasia in the XII Century.

The Xató route
The seafood cuisine from the Garraf counts with many emblematic dishes with much tradition such as fish zarzuela, cuttlefish “a la bruta”, “burnt garlic” (fish with potatoes), sailor’s ranch or casserole of rice to the “sitgetana”. The vegetables are also high protagonists in this land, offering products such as “espigalls” or “brotons”, (cabbage sprouts) from September to March and which are practically only cultivated in the region of Garraf. However, and without any doubt, the star dish in this region is the Xató, a sauce made of, principally, almonds and toasted walnuts, garlic, olive oil, bread, vinegar and hot pepper (ñoras) which flavours a salad of escarole, codfish, tuna, anchovies and black and “arbequina” (type of Catalan olive) olives. Thus the Xató Route is a proposal of the Gastronomic Tourism from the Alt Penedès region, the Baix Penedès and the Garraf where more than 100 restaurants from the region offer this dish on their menu from November to April.