Nature

An unforgettable world

Portlligat

Dalí house is in a bay called Portlligat, which is one of the most popular coves in Cadaqués. The house consists of a series of fishermen’s houses that Gala and Dalí joined together in the form of a labyrinth. This is where the artist found peace and inspiration to paint most of his works of art.

Portlligat's name can explain because if we look at the sea from the beach it seems as if this place was completely surrounded with land, as a lake. There are two islands, Portlligat's Island, and on the other side there is another smaller island, Sa Farnera. Portlligat has been traditionally the base of many of the fishermen of Cadaqués (If you want to know the Opening Times of the Dalí's House, see Culture-Museums).

As it is known, Salvador Dalí was especially fascinated by Cadaqués. This fascination led him to know every inch of the town and to depict some of the smallest details transforming them into essential elements. So, his masterly description of the landscape in his autobiography is the best way to know it:

“Portlligat is just fifteen minutes away from Cadaqués, at the other side of the cemetery. It is one of the driest, mineral and planetary places on the Earth. Mornings bring a wild and bitter happiness, fiercely analytical and structural; sunsets are ghoulishly sad; the bright and lively olive trees metamorphose in a still lead grey. The morning breeze draws smiles of happy small waves on the waters: in the afternoon, as the bay is nearly like a lake due to the islets, water is so calm that it often reflects the dramas of the crepuscular sky”.

SALVADOR DALÍ "Secret life"