Forgotten Spanish treasure; Where medieval and modern mix together,

It is an undiscovered Spanish treasure of bustling cafe districts, ancient alleyways, and pastel-coloured houses which hazily reflect in the still waters of the Ter and Onyar rivers. Yet most visitors to Girona make an enormous mistake when they arrive at the airport - they bypass the city completely.

When most tourists flood off Ryanair's service between Prestwick and Girona, they head for Barcelona, the stylish Catalonian metropolis some 70 miles to the south, or to the beaches and rocky coves that twist up and down the serpentine Costa Brava coastline.

What they miss is a gorgeous and compact northern Spanish city, whose history is as vivid and vibrant as its old quarter and whose culinary tradition is as lively as its shopping areas and nightlife.

This is a fascinating city where the ancient, medieval and modern worlds all fuse together. Girona was founded by the Romans, conquered by Visigoths and Moors, inhabited by medieval Jewish mystics, and then reconquered by Catholic monarchs.

The pace of life now is more relaxed. Here, the locals knock off work early to gather for drinks in the shady cafes of the Rambla or in the Placa Independencia, and then again later for more drinks or dinner or to join the throng of people taking their evening passeig, or stroll.

However, no matter which part of Girona you're in, it is the Barri Vell, or old quarter, that draws you. This has remained the city's focal point for more than a thousand years.Climbing through Barri Vell's hot and shadowy alleyways is like emerging from a time machine.

The entire quarter rises from the bustling shop and cafe district of Rambla Llibertat, through steep passages and stone steps, as if twisting through epoch upon epoch, toward the towering fifteenth century cathedral at its pinnacle.

A short walk from the Rambla lies the arched Placa del Vi, once the home of a wine market. On the city wall here is a small carving of an impish head - En Banyeta - said to be a medieval moneylender turned to stone who now watches over the citizens to ensure they pay their taxes.

Legend has it that if you rub noses with him, your debts will be erased. Further up the street is the Placa de l'Oli, site of the old oil market and now packed with bars and restaurants. Narrow alleys and stone steps now twist to the right and left. All of them snake toward the Carrer de la Forca, once part of the Roman Via Augusta connecting Iberia to the rest of Europe.

The street later became the heart of El Call, the ancient Jewish quarter, an epicentre from which radiates a further maze of mysterious and precipitous streets where the city's past is almost palpable.

The Museu Arqueologic and the enchanting Banys Arabs, or Arab baths, dating from the twelfth century and designed in graceful, delicate Moorish style, are other highlights of the Old Quarter.

The food in Girona is a relaxed pavement cafe and restaurant affair, offering a dazzling array of traditionally cooked meat and fresh seafood, fine wine and fabulous desserts.

Shopping, too, is a treat in this stylish and affluent city. Across the Onyar from the Rambla, elegant clothes boutiques jostle with antiques emporia and designer furniture.

However, if you really must get to a beach - although the sea can be chilly until May - a half-hour drive or bus trip will take you to some of the most exquisite coves, with crystal clear Mediterranean waters as you have never imagined.

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