The astronomical autumn is here, putting a definitive end to the hottest summer in history since temperature records began. The new season officially starts this Wednesday at 02:05, which is when the equinox takes place, and will last until December 21st, when winter begins.

This autumn, decoration trends move away from perfection and claim warmth, material, and personality. Visible grain wood, braided fibers, artisanal-looking ceramics, and colored glass gain prominence in spaces where objects no longer just fulfill a function, but tell a story and claim all the attention.

September is here. For me, a very beloved month because it announces the end of summer, the most dreadful season of the year. Although autumn does not begin until the 21st, depending on the year, the day or the light is already different. It is as if it took a step back, a small step, indeed, but full of meaning. The light begins to tilt and the air, despite the current heat, takes on a kind of unprotected note and announces rains and yellow leaves and muddy paths and decay on the ground. This in the forest, of course. The scent of autumn begins to weave itself from the very beginning. For me, it is a sweet and anise-like scent of fennel. Sometimes, there are years when September has a bunch of calm days, of suspended stillness, of active happiness. The sea has a tired blue, the sky is transparent and only some small cloud wanders through it, white, protective. This is when there is no storm, when the streams do not come down wildly, when the tumult of the water does not carry everything away to the sea.

August 30th has something (not very pleasant) of a Sunday evening. It's still hot and there might be a few beach days left, but September is already peeking around the corner. However, in these last days of summer before the rush and the more serious part of the routine return, there are a series of nooks and objects in the house that are worth cleaning precisely now, before this kind of reset that also has something of a new year. Some of the things worth cleaning and tidying up now are objects that have been used intensively during the summer and that we no longer want to see lying around the house, and others, because in a few weeks they will be back in service.

It's the heart of autumn, and forests across the country have been displaying the classic and spectacular yellow, red, and orange hues of this time of year for weeks. But the colors of autumn are arriving later and later in our country due to the effects of the climate crisis, according to a study by Meteocat published this Friday based on data from the Phenological Network of Catalonia (Fenocat). The report concludes that the change in leaf color of deciduous trees is being delayed by an average of 2.1 days per decade in Catalonia. The study focused on the beech tree, which is particularly colorful at this time of year. In fact, beech forests attract thousands of visitors every autumn because of their spectacular display. Data indicates that some beech forests are experiencing a delay in leaf color change of up to 3 or 4 days per decade, such as those found at Roca Tiraval in Bagà (Berguedà) or Castellterçol (Moianès). This shortening of the natural period puts these trees at risk in the future.

Selling chestnuts on the streets of Barcelona is an ancient tradition. By the end of the 18th century, there were over two hundred stalls in the city. Although they are not as numerous now, the tradition continues, and every autumn the city's streets and squares are filled with the warm aroma of chestnuts slowly roasting over an open fire (with more and more pedestrians in short sleeves each year). To make your search for chestnuts and sweet potatoes easier, we offer you a map of the 65 stalls in 2025.

When autumn begins and the days get shorter, we enter one of the best times to travel. Autumn isn't a transitional season, but a destination in itself. It's the moment when European cities breathe, shake off the crowds, and recover their true and authentic rhythm. The sunlight turns golden and slanted, setting the parks ablaze and bathing the facades in an almost unreal patina. The air becomes fresh and clean, inviting us to do two things that are unthinkable in summer: put on a jacket and enjoy the pleasure of a good hot dish.

Photographer, mountaineer, and educator Jordi Longàs says that in Catalonia we are "very fortunate in our landscape," as after many trips he has been able to verify that "few places have what we have here: a great variety of ecosystems and natural landscapes concentrated in just a few kilometers." Longàs has just published the book The colors of autumn (Cosetania), which proposes 30 routes through Catalonia to enjoy this season with the family. The book suggests excursions throughout the territory, capturing the country's panoramic diversity. While there are some very popular routes, there are also many that readers are sure to discover, as they cover lesser-known areas and offer an opportunity to discover new places.

The abrupt change in weather over the past few days has brought temperatures down. We've suddenly gone from the warm and muggy atmosphere of last week to a late-October atmosphere, with cold mornings and cool to mild middays. In fact, temperatures are around four or five degrees below average. Autumn has arrived with a bang. And with this influx of cold, polar air, the snow level in the Pyrenees has also dropped sharply, with some areas already seeing the first snowfalls of the season.

After another sweltering summer, this Monday, September 22nd, astronomical autumn officially arrives, although the meteorological season began on September 1st. It will begin at 8:19 p.m., according to the National Astronomical Observatory, and that's when the equinox occurs. The new season will last almost 90 days, until December 21st, when winter arrives.

Autumn is synonymous with mushrooms, and now that the new season has officially arrived—specifically, on September 22nd—the question is clear: will we have a good season? Well, everything seems to indicate that this year could be by far the best in recent years. The rains that have been falling since spring in much of the country and the storms in late August and September have meant that, despite the intense summer heat, the ground is quite moist and conducive to mushroom growth in many wooded areas. In fact, at mid- and high altitudes in several parts of the Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees, mushrooms have been harvested in baskets for days now. Now all that's left is for autumn to bring the typical rainfall of the season.

The series premiere cycle never stops, and the last quarter of the year always comes loaded with new releases, some of them aspiring to become the new television phenomenon that will star in the conversations of friends and acquaintances. These are, a priori, some of the most powerful titles on the platforms for the fall season [This list does not include the September premieres, which can be found here].

When the leaves fall and the days get shorter, it's the perfect time to escape beyond nearby borders and indulge in long-distance destinations. Eurovacation Trips, an agency with three offices in Barcelona, ​​Granollers, and Girona, and extensive experience organizing itineraries around the world, offers a variety of interesting options that you can't miss. From major Asian capitals, for example, where the tropical heat gives way to a mild climate ideal for strolling, to routes in South America, which look spectacular without the crowds of peak season, and the landscapes of the United States, which are dressed in red and gold and become living postcards, each destination becomes a destination.