The Costa Brava is famous for its idyllic landscapes, turquoise waters and charming fishing villages. However, behind this serene façade lie stories of a turbulent past, marked by fear and violence. One of the coves that best embodies this duality is Cala del Crit, a corner of wild beauty whose name evokes a dark legend of pirates.
The Legend of the Scream
Located in the municipality of Mont-ras, between Palamós and Calella de Palafrugell, Cala del Crit owes its name to a tragic story. Legend has it that, centuries ago, a ship of Saracen pirates moored on its shores to shelter from a storm. At dawn, the crowing of a rooster alerted them to a nearby farmhouse. Driven by greed, they raided the estate, but their attention was captured by the beauty of a young blonde woman whom they kidnapped.
In a desperate attempt to escape as they dragged her toward the beach, the girl bit the captain's hand with all her strength. Enraged by her act of defiance, he drew his sabre and, with a single blow, beheaded her. It is said that the girl's scream of terror and pain was so harrowing that it echoed along the entire coast, giving the cove its name forever: Cala del Crit (Cove of the Scream).
A Besieged Coast: Pirates in L'Estartit and the Medes Islands
The legend of Cala del Crit is no isolated tale. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the entire Costa Brava lived under the constant threat of pirates and corsairs, mainly Barbary raiders from the Ottoman Empire. These seafarers sowed terror along the coast, plundering, kidnapping and destroying.
A key hub of this pirate activity was the Medes Islands, a small archipelago off the coast of L'Estartit. Their strategic position made the Medes a perfect base of operations from which pirates launched attacks on coastal towns. From there, they planned raids to loot churches, burn farmhouses and, above all, capture inhabitants for ransom or to sell as slaves in the markets of North Africa.
📍 Did you know?
The Medes Islands, today a protected marine reserve and one of the most popular diving destinations in the Mediterranean, were for centuries a refuge for pirates who terrorized the entire Catalan coast.
Towers Against Terror: The Defence of the Coast
Far from surrendering, the local population organized to defend themselves against the constant threat. The appearance of the coast changed forever with the construction of a sophisticated defensive system. Watchtowers were erected at elevated points along the entire coastline, such as Torre Valentina in Calonge or Torre del Pedró in L'Escala, to spot enemy ships and raise the alarm.
In addition, many farmhouses were fortified, becoming small castles capable of withstanding a siege. The Torre Moratxa, in the Montgrí massif, is a clear example of these defensive structures that dot the landscape of the Empordà, silent witnesses to an age of fear and insecurity.
The Pirate Legacy Today
Today, the memory of those violent times is kept alive in local culture. L'Estartit, in particular, commemorates its pirate past every September with the Fira de Pirates i Corsaris de les Illes Medes (Pirate and Corsair Fair). Over a weekend, the town steps back in time with craft markets, workshops, shows and historical reenactments, including a pirate landing on the main beach. It is a fun and festive way of not forgetting a fundamental part of its history.
So, next time you visit Cala del Crit or sail through the waters of the Medes Islands, remember that you are in a place where the beauty of the landscape intertwines with the harsh legends of pirates who once ruled this corner of the Mediterranean.
Sail Through the Pirate History of the Costa Brava
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