Sweeping down from the highest mountains with a serene but relentless force, this wind forms an integral part of the region’s landscape. The Tramuntana not only rustles through the leaves of the trees or makes the Mediterranean waves dance, it also reaches deep into the soul of anyone who hears it.

When the Tramuntana blows, it clears the Empordà sky of clouds and creates a crystalline light, as if ridding us of any barrier that obstructs the horizon. The blue skies become more intense, and the shadows of the hills grow darker. When this wind blows it changes the light, as if the whole landscape were infused with a fresh new energy and vitality.

The Tramuntana is both the calm and the storm at once. Sometimes it rustles softly among the vines, carrying with it the scent of dry earth and roots, steeped in sun and history. At other times it erupts with such force that it seems intent on tearing down everything in its path, as if seeking to cleanse the world, and make it rise again from the ashes.

But this wind is not just a mere atmospheric phenomenon. It is poetry in motion, inspiration for wordsmiths and artists, an indomitable force that, throughout the centuries, has marked the lives of the Empordà people. The Tramuntana has shaped the vegetation, the landscapes, and the very spirit of the region: strong, stubborn and free, it is said to forge the very character of all those living under its spell.

Listen the tramuntana

Dalí, born under this wind, knew this only too well. Defying all logic and the established order, his surrealist works positively exude the free and unpredictable spirit of the Tramuntana. Dalí’s art, just like the wind, can’t be contained or predicted. Like the air that sweeps over the Empordà mountains and fields, it flows without borders or limits.

As you roam the Empordà landscapes, the Tramuntana accompanies you every step of the way. You can feel its cool breath in the morning stillness, while at sundown it begins to pick up, filling the air with life, broken promises, past memories and adventures yet to be had.

Feel the tramuntana

It is the wind that reminds you that nature is alive, that the world is ever-changing, and that time passes just like the gusts that vanish into infinity. The Tramuntana is the ancient voice of a land that can never be fully tamed; a constant, eternal force, making the Empordà a place you’re always drawn back to.

Photos: Anna Pla-Narbona