Sílvia Soler: “The sentimental value it has is what makes it so special”

The parents of the writer Sílvia Soler were in love with the landscape of La Garrotxa. They lived in Olot for six years and, although Sílvia was born in Figueres, she lived there until she was three years old, in Olot. Since then, she has returned every summer of her life. She spends her summers in the volcanic area, between Olot and Santa Pau, and she is clear that this is her favorite place in Catalonia. He finds the landscape beautiful, but what makes it truly special is the sentimental value it holds: “We are the fourth generation that goes there quite steadily. Some years someone is missing, but the seven or eight families that coincide, who are friends from adolescence, try to maintain continuity”. When the children were little they stayed there for the whole month of vacation, and for a good while now they spend about fifteen days there, which everyone preserves in order to meet up. Families have been passing down that these days in La Garrotxa are sacred: “The rest of the year we see each other, but living together is different. The older children continue to go there, even if they work, they spend a couple of days there”. La Fageda is also special for Sílvia because it reminds her of her mother, who was a poet. When she was little and they walked in the area, she would recite verses by Maragall to them, which they all knew by heart. She remembers her parents loving La Garrotxa, which in difficult times has become a space of peace. When I was little, the volcanic area was a lost corner of the world, Olot was less connected and rural and mountain tourism was not so fashionable: “My friends used to go to the Costa Brava or the Daurada. Now many more people spend their summers in this area, but it is still quite peaceful”. Compared to other coastal destinations, this landscape has not changed much, “it belongs to the natural park, it has been wonderfully preserved”. She appreciates the beauty of the landscape, the Fageda, the Croscat… and acknowledges that even though she doesn't do much hiking or mountain excursions, she has spent all summers in a privileged place for this type of activity. “What I do is family life, being with my nephews, whom I don't see so often during the year, and with friends, and enjoying them all. I also take the opportunity to rest and read,” she explains.Soler considers that there are two types of people, those who always vacation in the same place and those who choose the destination. Although since she organizes her holidays in her own way she always keeps a few days to visit other destinations, she finds that she is privileged for "this feeling that the landscape is very yours and that when you return the time is relativized".