Sant Antoni de Calonge is, really, half a story: the municipality is called Calonge i Sant Antoni, two places with their own character just four kilometers apart. Sant Antoni is the seafront — promenade and beach; Calonge, inland, holds the castle and the medieval quarter that give the whole the other half of its identity. Stay on the sand alone, and you've missed half the town.
Calonge and Sant Antoni: two villages, one municipality
In the upper part of Calonge, the medieval castle — its towers and walls well preserved — has looked over the town since the eleventh century, alongside the Romanesque church of Sant Martí. The cobbled streets of the Barrio Antiguo, with their small squares and stone houses, are the exact reverse of Sant Antoni's seafront promenade, a short drive away.
On the coast, along the promenade, the old watchtowers are a reminder that this shoreline had to defend itself against pirates for centuries: the best known gives its name to the beach at Torre Valentina.
The beaches: from Sant Antoni to Torre Valentina
Sant Antoni's beach is the town's main one, golden-sand and fully serviced, good for a family day out. To the south, Torre Valentina beach — separated from the first by the Calonge stream — has a quieter mood and some 500 meters of fine sand beneath the sixteenth-century tower that gives it its name.
Beyond that come the smaller calas: Cala Roques Planes, with rock formations and a good seabed for snorkeling; Cala Cap Roig, between cliffs and scrub; and Platja de Can Cristus, shallow and easy to reach, a good option with children.
The camí de ronda toward Platja d’Aro
One of the most rewarding hiking stretches in the area links Sant Antoni de Calonge with Platja d’Aro: about 7.5 km of camí de ronda marked with the GR-2's red and white signs, an easy walk covered in around two hours. The path strings together Cala del Pi, Cap Roig and Cala Rovira before reaching Platja d’Aro, the sea keeping you company almost the whole way.
Festivals and cultural life
The Fiesta Mayor of Sant Antoni, in January, honors Sant Antoni Abat with parades, dancing and the traditional blessing of animals, much loved by locals. In summer, the Calonge International Music Festival brings concerts to the castle grounds, and in August the medieval fair turns the old quarter into a market of crafts, food and falconry. Year-round, the Ca l'Anita gallery, in central Calonge, shows work by local and visiting artists.
