The 10 Best Things to do in Palafrugell, Catalonia

Can Mario is the Fundació Vila Casas Museum of Contemporary Sculpture in Palafrugell (Costa Brava). It was opened in 2004. It has around 220 works on show dating from the 1960’s to the present day by a wide range of artists born or living in Catalonia. Temporary exhibitions are also held every year. Can Mario was a cork factory dating from the early 20th century and was one of the buildings of the Miquel & Vincke cork company. Today it is a place for contemplating art situated in the Plaça de Can Mario, where we can also find a modernista water tower and the Cork Museum. Sice April 2011, 33 sculptures by artists from the Empordà region of Catalonia have been placed in the Jardí de Can Mario, as permanent, open air exhibits. In October of the same year the Sala Empordà was opened in the Museum, for holding temporary exhibitions of artists from the region.

Located in the center of Palafrugell Cork Museum presents a unique institution because of its subject, its territory and its complete service, acquires, preserves, interprets and highlights heritage structured around the world cork in Catalonia, while shaping a landscape, industry, lifestyles and a common identity. It aims to contribute to the social, economic and cultural life of the community; providing support to formal and informal education as proposed; as well as alternative and creative leisure. The Cork Museum occupies a former cork factory, the largest in the industry in Spain. It also has a past in the relevant sector, with rare items cork constructions that are often functional buildings uncompromising decorative elements or the participation of renowned architects. This aspect becomes even more relevant in the set highlighting modernist elements, dimensions and structure. The Cork Museum also manages the Depository Modernist Interpretation Center Can Mario.