Costa Brava

Architectural designer Charlie Luxton visits the rugged coastline of the Costa Brava. Located in the autonomous and fiercely proud region of Catalonia, Costa Brava means 'Wild Coast' and is an area renowned for its rocky shoreline that tumbles into the Mediterranean sea. CadaquÚs, on the beautiful Cap de Creus, attracted artists such as Matisse and Picasso, while Salvador DalÝ was a permanent resident. Charlie visits a surreal and abstract home made up of ten interlocking cubes of white render and reinforced glass. There's also a townhouse; and, at a medieval walled town inland, Charlie visits a contemporary home built using stone quarried locally. In Begur, Charlie learns how to make a tasty Catalan version of paella. In Tamariu, he visits a home with two swimming pools cut into a cliff; before heading for a farmhouse in the mountains.