At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the Vallès Oriental became consolidated as the summer-resort area for the wealthy merchant class of Barcelona, whose members were drawn by its nearness to the capital, its beautiful landscapes and, above all, its therapeutic and thermal excellences. In diverse towns in this, summer houses were built with leafy gardens that bear witness today to bygone period.

A route comprising these unique summer houses and their gardens will reveal a conception of art and an attitude to life that combined aesthetic pleasure with a taste for nature and health. Likewise, it permits one to gain an acquaintance with the work of the local architect Manuel Joaquim Raspall (1877-1937). Raspall was active as a public and private architect in the towns
of L’Ametlla, Cardedeu, La Garriga and Granollers, and his
most interesting works may be seen there today.