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The Hacienda Paperie

From Palau Maricel to the Sea: Exploring the Artistic Heart of Sitges

The white tower of Palau Maricel stands in quiet grandeur, facing the Mediterranean on its right. Built from blocks of natural stone at the base, the tower ascends through a graceful semicircular arch framed with delicate carvings, a single Moorish-inspired window, and a sculpted crown embedded in stone. At its top, a geometric frieze of white brick triangles reaches toward the deep blue sky. The sea glimmers to the right, echoing the calm strength of this seaside structure.

You don’t expect to find a palace tucked between the sea and a quiet street. But in Sitges, surprises come gently. I turned a corner, and there it was—Palau Maricel, glowing in the midday light like it had always belonged to this place.

Its story begins in the early 1900s, when Charles Deering, a wealthy American art collector, fell in love with Sitges. Alongside Catalan artist and engineer Miquel Utrillo, he transformed a row of fishermen’s houses into a sanctuary for beauty. Inspired by the ideals of Noucentisme—a Catalan movement that embraced classical harmony and Mediterranean calm—Palau Maricel became a space where art, architecture, and the sea could speak to one another.

Even from the outside, the building whispers stories. Stone arches frame glimpses of light, iron balconies overlook the water, and the entire façade seems to breathe with quiet elegance. It holds centuries of influence—Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque—but somehow remains rooted in its own, singular grace.

And as I stood there, I felt it again: wondering is enough. You don’t always need explanations or entry. Beauty, after all, isn’t always kept behind doors—it often lives in what we’re willing to notice.

A view of the white tower of Palau Maricel in Sitges, rising beside the Mediterranean Sea. The tower begins with natural stone blocks at its base, leading to a finely carved archway that hints at its former entrance. Above it, a small Moorish-style window stands out with soft stone tones against the whitewashed façade. The structure is crowned with a sculpted stone detail and finished with a brick frieze of white triangles that seem to pierce the brilliant blue sky. The rest of the building continues to the left, completing this quiet yet powerful architectural silhouette.
White stone, sea breeze, and a sky cut by triangles—Palau Maricel’s tower watches the Mediterranean with quiet majesty.
Close-up of the upper section of Palau Maricel’s white tower in Sitges, featuring a weathered stone sculpture of Saint Michael embedded near the top, and crowned with a distinctive zigzag frieze of white brick triangles that stand out crisply against the vivid blue Mediterranean sky.
Saint Michael holds his watch in stone, as the tower’s white triangles slice the sky—geometry and grace rising above the sea.
Main entrance of Palau Maricel museum in Sitges, with a natural stone arch framing an old carved wooden door with green iron knobs shaped like bells, flanked by lanterns; above, the white brick façade features layered windows and a terracotta-tiled roof, all set beneath a vivid blue sky.
Bathed in white and crowned in terracotta, Palau Maricel stands beneath the Sitges sky—an ode to light, sea, and Noucentisme grace.
Angled ground-level view of the right side of Palau Maricel in Sitges, showing a small arched passageway, simple elegant windows along a white brick wall, and part of the tower on the far right, all beneath a vivid blue sky.
A white wall, a quiet passage, and the sky’s deep blue—Palau Maricel turns a corner with grace and history.
Panoramic view of Palau Maricel in Sitges, showing the white museum building with its main entrance on the left and the distinctive tower with sculptural and geometric details on the right, all beneath a brilliant blue Mediterranean sky.
From doorway to tower, Palau Maricel unfolds in white stone and sky—an architectural poem above the sea.
A timeless journey around Palau Maricel—where architecture meets the Mediterranean, side by side.

On April 27th, we visited Sitges during our stay in Barcelona, discovering the architectural charm of Palau Maricel. Come explore Spain with us—its rich culture, history, and the beauty of this stunning museum by the sea.