After a wonderful first day in Girona, we woke early on our second day, keen to see the city before it fully came to life. The streets were noticeably quieter, and when we reached the cathedral steps again, there were hardly any people around. Without the crowds, the installation felt different. More contemplative, less performative.
The cascade of white flowers and water seemed to soften the monumental scale of the Girona Cathedral, allowing the architecture and the temporary artwork to exist in balance. It was calmer, slower, and, in many ways, more moving than the day before.
Beneath the Cathedral: Resilient Nature
Just below the cathedral, stop number fifty-eight took us underground, into the cathedral’s vaults. Resilient Nature was installed in the Soterranis, and it quickly became my favourite exhibition of the entire trip.
The installation depicted a devastating cycle: a lush forest reduced to ash by fire, followed by its slow regeneration. Using light, sound, and carefully placed natural elements, it created an immersive experience that felt both fragile and hopeful. Music echoed softly through the space, guiding you through destruction and renewal.
It was an ode to the beauty of nature and its precarious balance, inviting reflection on biodiversity, deforestation, and the life we are responsible for protecting. Created by students from the UPC School-CCCB in collaboration with local volunteers and engineers, it felt ambitious without being overwhelming. I could have stayed there far longer than we did.
The Arab Baths in Bloom
From there, we moved on to stop number sixty-six, inside the Banys Àrabs. Despite the name, the Arab Baths are actually Romanesque, built in the 12th century and inspired by earlier Islamic bathhouses. They’re one of Girona’s most atmospheric historic spaces, all stone columns, arches, and filtered light.
Temps de Flors installations were spread throughout the baths, interacting gently with the architecture. Works such as Lifting, under construction, Floral composition, By Dalí or Dalinian?, Garden of Dualities, and The Bee-eater Soars Over Girona appeared across different rooms. Rather than dominating the space, they felt deliberately restrained, allowing the structure itself to remain the focal point.
The combination of water, stone, and flowers felt timeless, as though the festival had slipped naturally into a building that had already seen centuries of change.
Just outside the baths is number 65, Glimpses, which depicts three strong women, guerrilla-like from afar but revealed up close as 15,000 individually crocheted flowers. The shift between image and detail was quietly powerful.
Gratitude at Lleó Avinay
At the Lleó Avinay House, stop number forty-three offered one of the most intimate experiences of the weekend. Gratitude was a tribute to Rosa Maria Labayen Coderch, a cultural activist and one of the driving forces behind Temps de Flors.
There were several installations throughout the space. One featured a single red rose framed with care. Another room, however, stopped me completely. It was filled with pastel-coloured flowers and plants, arranged in soft abundance. At first, I assumed they were artificial. Only when the artist herself explained that she had spent years collecting and drying every single flower did the scale of the work truly sink in.
It was extraordinary. Fragile, personal, and deeply moving, a quiet testament to patience, memory, and devotion.
Movement, Memory, and Climate
At stop number fifty-five, inside the Carbonera of the Girona History Museum, the installation The Oat Dance combined nature and technology. Wheat and oat stalks moved rhythmically, mimicking the way fields sway before harvest.
The project invited reflection on climate change, using technology not as spectacle but as a way to amplify natural movement. It was subtle, effective, and fitting for a festival that constantly negotiates between permanence and change.
From there, we crossed a smaller river and made our way to the Monestir de Sant Pere de Galligants. We went inside and spent some time in the cloister, a quiet, enclosed space where stone columns and arches frame a small garden at the centre. After the intensity of the installations, it felt like a moment of stillness, somewhere that naturally slows you down and lowers your voice.
It was around this point that I remembered something else Girona is quietly famous for: the xuixo. A local pastry, deep-fried, sugar-coated, and filled with crema catalana, it’s one of those things you hear about just often enough to know you shouldn’t leave without trying it. Several bakeries were selling them, but we held out for one that looked freshly made. When we finally found one, warm and lightly crisp on the outside, it didn’t disappoint. Rich, indulgent, and unapologetically old-fashioned, it felt like exactly the right treat for a day of wandering.
The Roca Family and Girona’s Food Culture
We crossed the River Onyar so that we were on the left side of the town. We came to this part of Girona because I wanted to explore places connected to the Roca brothers. Joan, Josep, and Jordi Roca are third-generation restaurateurs whose influence on Girona’s food scene is impossible to overstate.
Their story begins in Can Roca, their parents’ modest restaurant in the Taialà neighbourhood, where they grew up immersed in honest Catalan cooking. In 1986, they opened El Celler de Can Roca next door, combining tradition with innovation. Over time, it earned three Michelin stars and was named the world’s best restaurant in 2013 and 2015.
What makes their success especially compelling is their philosophy. Each brother has a distinct role: Joan as chef, Josep as sommelier, Jordi as pastry chef, but they share a commitment to quality, sustainability, and people. Their influence has helped shape Girona into one of the most exciting food destinations in the region.
Sweets, Ice Cream, and Chocolate
We started at their confiteria, a candy and chocolate shop filled with playful, inventive creations. Many were made especially for Temps de Flors: taronjina cake, a hazelnut financier covered in milk chocolate and orange blossom ganache; apricot and orange blossom lollies; and lavender-infused chocolate.
Next door, the gelateria offered a festival special too: a blueberry and violet sorbet with yoghurt carambines, flamed meringue, and a biscuit topping dipped in elderflower milk. However, I instead ordered a small cup of one of their classic flavours: baked apple. While there were plenty of toppings and extras on offer, I tend to prefer things left alone. The flavour was subtle and comforting, more autumnal than showy.
Further along the river, we visited Casa Cacao, the Roca family’s bean-to-bar chocolate project. The space combines factory, shop, and café, with chocolates made from single-origin cacao sourced directly from farming communities across the world.
I bought a box of bonbons featuring flavours like pistachio gianduja, caramel with Timut pepper, and cashew gianduja with jalapeño. It was fascinating to see how deeply the family’s values extend beyond the restaurant.
A Simple Ending
Before catching our train in the afternoon, we stopped for lunch at Pizzeria Marghe 1889. After two days of sensory richness, pizza felt like the right choice. Simple, comforting, and unpretentious.
It was a quiet end to a weekend filled with colour, ideas, and movement. Girona, once again, had revealed itself slowly, generously, and in ways I hadn’t quite expected. I really think it’s worth your time if you’re in Catalonia, or even in Barcelona. Girona is worth the trip!
What do you think of Girona? Would you visit for Temps de Flors?
No Comments