Steve's World Blog Information and articles on cities, towns and villages around the world.

A very old fishing town situated on the Gulf of Roses in Catalonia, Spain, Roses was originally founded as a trading settlement by the Greeks in the 8^th century BC. Within the walls of the later 16^th century citadel, the Ciutadella, there are still some remnants of this ancient civilisation together with artefacts from the later Roman settlement which began in the 2^nd century BC. Roses Spain became a fortified town during the 17^th century, a necessary step due to frequent pirate attacks, and these fortifications were truly tested by at least 4 sieges over the ensueing centuries, they were finally destroyed by the French in the early nineteenth century. Roses benefited greatly from the explosion of tourism during the 1960’s and 1970’s and became one of the prime holiday spots along this part of the Costa Brava coast. Roses is still a significant fishing port and has a lively marina with plenty of bars and restaurants where Roses nightlife is enjoyed by its many visitors. Roses, and the Gulf of Roses has plenty of stunning sandy beaches and some fine conditions for water sports, a great attraction for the area. Worth visiting are the Ciutadella, the church of Santa Maria, the Aiguamolls Natural Park, the Cap de Creus and the town of Figueres, birthplace of artist Salvador Dali. This are of Spain enjoys a super climate and Roses weather is ideal for holidays all year round but especially during the summer months when sunshine is the order of the day and rain rare. Roses Map.