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Comillas
«Comillas guarda El Capricho, un edificio modernista del arquitecto Gaudí.»Comillas houses El Capricho, a modernist building by the architect Gaudí.
Comillas is on the western coast of Cantabria and was a village of fishermen and whalers until the 19th century. The Marquis of Comillas, having made his fortune in Cuba, brought Catalan modernist architects here: Gaudí built El Capricho, one of only three works he completed outside Catalonia.
Did you know
A Gaudí outside of Catalonia.
El Capricho is one of the very few buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí outside of Catalonia.
How they talk in Comillas
«Indiano» here refers to emigrants who returned from the Americas with wealth and the houses they built. Much of Comillas's architecture can be understood through this very word.
pindio / pindia
Very steep or inclined. Used especially for an ascent, a road, or terrain with a sharp incline: «una cuesta muy pindia».
Everyday life in Comillas
Gaudí's «Capricho» amidst the greenery
The house with the ceramic sunflowers is one of the few works by Gaudí outside Catalonia, and it sits in a garden above the town: you pass it on the way to the beach.
«El Capricho es de Gaudí.» — El Capricho is by Gaudí.
The university on the hill
The huge, Modernist pontifical seminary dominates the town: it was one of the first pontifical universities in Spain, and locals in Comillas simply call it «la universidad».
The «marqueses» built everything
The first Marquis of Comillas returned from Cuba extremely wealthy and filled the town with Catalan architecture: electric light arrived here before it reached Madrid.
What to eat in Comillas
Corbatas de Unquera
Tie-shaped puff pastries with almonds and sugar on top, made in the neighbouring town.
Rabas
Floured and fried squid strips, in a paper cone.
Cocido montañés
White beans and cabbage with chorizo, morcilla and bacon.
Festivals in Comillas
Fiestas del Cristo del Amparo
around mid-July
The danzantes dance in front of the Christ with flower arches, between the squares and the houses of the marquises.
What to see in Comillas
El Capricho de Gaudí
One of only three works that Gaudí built outside Catalonia, covered in ceramic sunflowers.
Palacio de Sobrellano
The Marquis's neo-Gothic palace, with furniture designed by Gaudí.
Universidad Pontificia
Domènech i Montaner's building on the hill, which was a seminary for the whole of Spain.
Cementerio de Comillas
The cemetery on the ruins of a Gothic church, with Llimona's Guardian Angel above the wall.
Where Comillas comes from
Gaudí outside Catalonia
Middle Ages
The village
A village of fishermen and whalers on the west coast.
1881
The Marquis
Antonio López, the first Marquis of Comillas, having made his fortune in Cuba, makes the town his residence.
1883–1885
Gaudí
He builds «El Capricho»: one of only three works he would create outside Catalonia.
19th century → today
Modernism
The Marquis brings Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner and Cascante here: the town fills with Modernism.
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