Aula· Spain, city by cityCataluña
Vic
«Vic es muy conocida por la producción de su famoso embutido.»Vic is well known for the production of its famous sausage.
Vic is on a plateau in the interior of Catalonia, seventy kilometres north of Barcelona, in a basin where fog remains for days in winter. It preserves a Roman temple found inside the walls of a castle and one of the largest arcaded squares in the region, where the market has been held for eight centuries.
Did you know
A Roman temple inside castle.
The Roman temple of Vic remained hidden and incorporated into the walls of a medieval castle for centuries, only being discovered in 1882.
How they talk in Vic
Catalan is very dominant and «cansaladeria» is the common word for a traditional delicatessen. «Osona» is the comarca with which the inhabitants strongly identify territory, products and accent.
déu-n'hi-do
Not bad; quite something; truly remarkable. Interjection or adverb to express surprise, admiration, importance, or a considerable quantity.
Everyday life in Vic
The «llonganissa» hanging in the shop
Vic's cured meats are cured thanks to the fog and cold of the plain, and in the delicatessens of the centre they hang by the dozen from the ceiling. You buy them by the whole piece and slice them at home.
«Un trozo de longaniza, por favor.» — A piece of salami, please.
The «Mercat del Ram» before Easter
The Palm Sunday fair fills the huge square with livestock, machinery and stalls: it is one of the oldest fairs in Catalonia and marks the end of winter.
The «boira» of the plain
The fog of the Plana de Vic stays still for weeks in winter, and above five hundred metres there is sun: the inhabitants check the weather report to know whether to go up into the mountains to see it.
«Aquí la niebla no se va.» — Here the fog doesn't go away.
What to eat in Vic
Fuet de Vic
Thin and long salami, cured until it is covered in white mould: you eat that.
Botifarra amb mongetes
Grilled Catalan sausage with white beans sautéed in fat.
Coca de recapte
Thin focaccia with roasted vegetables and anchovies on top.
Festivals in Vic
Festa Major de Sant Miquel dels Sants
5 July
The giants and the «seguici» go around the arcaded Plaça Major, and the town eats under the arches.
What to see in Vic
Temple romà
A 2nd-century Roman temple that remained intact inside the walls of a castle for eight hundred years.
Plaça Major
One of the largest arcaded squares in Catalonia, where the market has been held since the Middle Ages.
Catedral de Sant Pere
The cathedral with the large murals by Josep Maria Sert, painted twice.
Museu Episcopal
One of the most important collections of Romanesque and Gothic art in Europe.
Where Vic comes from
A Roman temple walled inside a castle
Iberian era
Ausa
Capital of the Ausetani, on the plateau between the rivers.
2nd century
The temple
The Roman temple is built, which will later disappear inside the walls of a castle.
1882
The rediscovery
By demolishing the castle, the temple pops out, having remained intact inside the walls for eight centuries.
19th century → today
The salami
The «llonganissa» and the fuet of Vic become a brand known throughout Spain.
Want to learn Spanish by travelling across Spain?
In Aula every lesson is a city lighting up on the map — Vic is one of them. Two hundred lessons from A1 to C2, free, starting from your level.
Start from Vic →