Castellfollit de la Roca, Medieval settlement on basalt cliffs in Garrotxa, Spain.
Castellfollit de la Roca is a municipality that perches on a narrow basalt ridge extending roughly one kilometer in length. The Fluvià and Toronell rivers flow below, wrapping around the cliff where the settlement stands.
The settlement traces its origins to two separate lava flows from volcanic activity that built the basalt ridge thousands of years ago. This dramatic geological foundation eventually attracted human habitation and medieval growth on top of the formation.
The church of Sant Salvador sits at the cliff's edge and shapes how locals and visitors experience the town. It stands as the natural gathering point where the community's religious life and public spaces meet.
The narrow streets require a slow pace as you walk, with tight passages that leave little room to move quickly through town. Visitors should expect steep slopes throughout the settlement and take extra care near the cliff edges.
The entire built area fits within less than one square kilometer, making it one of Catalonia's smallest municipalities. This extreme compactness means everything worth seeing is easily reachable on foot.
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