Spain * France

Bradt's newly published Catalunya & Barcelona has the most extensive coverage of any travel guidebook to the whole of this fiercely independent region (both French and Spanish sides), which is proud of its strong identity and packs a huge amount of fascination and contrast into a conveniently small area - from the Pyrenees mountains and sparkling Mediterranean coves to crisp cava and world-renowned cuisine. Although Barcelona, with its Gaud� architecture, may be the best-known destination, the rest of Catalunya generates the identity of which local residents are so proud. Although officially a semi-autonomous comunidad, Catalunya feels like a separate country - as arguably befits its history as a medieval kingdom that ruled parts of southernmost France, the Balearics and even what is now the Italian island of Sardinia. Written by long-time travel authors Dana Facaros and Michael Pauls, and Mary-Ann Gallagher, who has lived in Barcelona since the mid-2000s, Bradt's new guidebook furnishes detailed background and practical information in eight easy-to-follow chapters, providing in-depth guides to Barcelona plus the provincial capitals of Girona, Tarragon and Lleida, alongside sections covering the Costa Brava (where charming fishing villages and isolated beaches offset mass-tourism resorts), the Pyrenees (including Andorra) and French Catalunya (including Perpignan). Written with a light, deft touch that conveys a genuine passion for Catalan culture and people, Catalunya & Barcelona provides manifold reasons to get off the beaten path and explore areas that offer outstanding natural beauty, great food, history and culture. In this region of contrasting landscapes, it is eminently possible to ski in the Pyrenees in the morning, then sunbathe on a Mediterranean beach in the afternoon. Discover Catalunya's strangest festivals, from pet blessings and silent choirs to dancing eggs and human castles. Bring history to life by visiting Iberian villages, Roman walls and washtubs, haunting Romanesque frescoes, medieval hamlets where time seems to have stopped. Explore blissfully uncrowded nature reserves and mountain ranges, smuggler paths on rugged coasts, valleys scented with almond and cherry blossom. And savour the best Catalan cuisine, considered one of the world's finest, from traditional country towns to avant-garde culinary fireworks in globally renowned restaurants.