The Costa Brava, the wild coast of the province of Girona, has a medieval town a few kilometres from where it meets the sea. Its historic centre stands on a hill surrounded by plains, which were originally marshland. You have to go back to the 9th century - the period to which its castle belongs - to find the first written documents mentioning this town. Continuous warlike confrontations have meant that over the centuries only the Keep of this defensive construction has been preserved. It is a circular Romanesque tower built between the 11th and 13th centuries. The 15-metre tower stands on a natural rock platform in which many Visigothic tombs can be found. During the 15th century it was used as a belltower, which is why it is known as the Torre de las Horas (Tower of the Hours). Nowadays, the site of the castle is occupied by the house of the Pi i Figueras family, promoters of the restoration of the Gothic Quarter of Pals. Of modern construction, this house maintains the same architectural features as the rest of the town. Cobbled streets interrupted by semicircular arches, façades with pointed arched windows and stone balconies are among Pals' distinctive features.The wall is another element that takes the traveller back to the Middle Ages. Four square towers remain standing today, although they date from the 12th century. They are towers with their own names, like Ramonet, Rom, Xinel·lo and Hospital.Other points of interest are the Josep Pla viewpoint, the Plaza Mayor, the tombs in the Calle Mayor and the church of Sant Pere. The writer from Palafrugell gives his name to one of the natural watchtowers, from where you can make out the fields of Empordà and the Medes Islands. Gothic arches and medieval tombs are the other landmarks you find on the way.