Calella

Calella is a coastal town in the comarca of Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, some 50 kilometres from the Catalan capital and regarded as one of the tourist capitals of this coast. With some 19,000 inhabitants, it grew with the textile industry, which by the end of the 18th century already had more than 200 looms making silk and cotton stockings, and from the 1970s it established itself as an international tourist destination. Its symbols are the lighthouse, built in 1859 on top of the Capaspre, and Les Torretes, two mid-19th-century towers used for optical telegraphy. In sport, the town has committed to sports tourism and has hosted Ironman Barcelona, with the swim in the Mediterranean and the run through its streets. Calella was recognised by ACES Europe as European Town of Sport 2016, a title reserved for municipalities of fewer than 25,000 inhabitants, which places it within the Spanish representation of the ACES network.