The dishes served at the Miramar restaurant in Llançà begin with scraps of paper, which chef Paco Pérez collects here and there and repurposes. Small works of art that eventually emerge from the paper to become edible sculptures, with flavor, aroma, and, above all, soul. Paco Pérez, with five Michelin stars, two of them for the cuisine he creates at Miramar, is considered the quintessential artist-chef. "He's always drawing. In a process of daily creativity, he captures each idea in a sketch on paper, to be interpreted and transformed by his team into a dish that often conveys the essence of the Mar de Amunt to the diner," explains the chef's son, the poet Guillem Pérez. Creating from the raw materials provided by the land he loves so much and that inspires him so much is one of Paco Pérez's obsessions, and he demonstrates this with gastronomic offerings such as Arroz en la Barca, inspired by rice dishes that were cooked "on the high seas, without seeing land, breathing the salty air that makes me feel it." Paco Pérez champions the presence in haute cuisine of the humble seaweed found in the waters of the Mar de Amunt, which embrace the Cape of Creus up to Cervera.

No more boat parties at Cap de Creus and no more jet ski tours: artificial intelligence will ensure they don't happen. This summer, the natural park located in the Alt Empordà region has, for the first time in its history, a Master Plan for Use and Management (PRUG) In the maritime sphere. After years of delays, the Generalitat de Catalunya finally approved in May the ten-point navigation regulations that should govern which activities are permitted (and under what conditions) in the nearly 3,000 hectares of marine surface of this protected natural environment.

"For the locals it's great, but for businesses it's a load of rubbish. We are a tourist town, whether we like it or not, and if we don't let people come... I don't know what they will live on!" This is how Cisco, a resident of Cadaqués, sums up the new restrictions on access to Cap de Creus by car or motorbike. Since 11 June, you can only enter on foot, by bike or with the shuttle bus, about which there have already been many complaints about the service: the timetables are not clear and it costs 8 euros per adult. The town council admits that there are aspects that need to be improved, such as signposting, but they believe that the measure is essential to preserve the natural park and avoid images like those of last year, with peaks of 1,500 cars parked in every corner of the area.