Catalonia is one of the most visited autonomous communities in Spain by tourists and has numerous attractions, such as incredible beaches, iconic monuments, and a wide range of leisure and cultural activities. Apart from Barcelona, which is one of the favorite cities of European travelers, the rest of its provincial capitals also have numerous tourist attractions and curiosities to discover. This is the case of Girona, whose name has been a mystery throughout history.  

Why is it called ’Girona’?The first name associated with the city of Girona was ’Gerunda’, a denomination given by the Romans when they founded it in the 1st century B.C. From this point, there has been a lack of explanations that give reasons for why Girona has this name, but according to National Geographic, there are recent theories that could explain its origin. Before the Romans occupied the territory now known as Girona, the indigetes, an Iberian people, settled in the northeastern end of the Iberian Peninsula. They named the city and gave it a meaning similar to ’the old one’, which would come from the combination of the words ’age’ and ’great’ in their language. 

Curiosities of GironaThe Call of this Catalan city is one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in all of Europe, so walking through its streets becomes a full immersion and historical experience. Apart from the mysterious origin of the name Girona, this provincial capital also holds other secrets not so well known by tourists who decide to visit. Examples of these are two symbolic elements of its streets: the Lioness of Girona, which is kissed by its visitors, and the eye of the street of the Merchants, whose legend says it was used for mothers to watch over their children.