You are driving along a narrow road through the Catalan hills. The road winds past olive trees and cork oaks. Then, behind a bend, it appears: a robust stone building with thick walls, a terracotta roof and wooden shutters. It stands there as if it has grown out of the earth itself. This is a masía, the beating heart of the Catalan countryside.
The origin: farm, fort and family nest
A masía (pronounced “ma-ZI-a”) is a traditional Catalan country house. The oldest masías date back to the Middle Ages, some going as far back as the tenth and eleventh centuries. The word comes from the Latin “mansus,” which roughly translates as a piece of land large enough to support a family.
And that is precisely what a masía has always been: a self-sufficient entity. The house formed the centre of an estate where crops were grown, livestock was kept and families lived generation after generation. The thick stone walls kept it cool in summer and warm in winter. The small windows on the north side protected against the cold tramontana wind. On the south side, the windows were larger to let in the sunlight.
Many masías also had a defensive function. In times of unrest, residents could retreat into the fortified tower that characterises many of these country houses. Some masías were small fortresses in their own right.
Architecture that tells a story
Each masía has its own character, but there are recognizable elements that connect them. The walls are built from local stone, often hundreds of years old and weathered by sun, wind and rain. The roof is made of terracotta tiles, that typical warm red colour that you see everywhere in the Catalan landscape.
Inside you will find broad stone staircases, wooden beamed ceilings (known as “bigues”), fireplaces large enough to stand in, and floors of terracotta or natural stone. The layout is practical: on the ground floor were originally the stables and storage areas, on the first floor the living spaces, and on the top floor the bedrooms and granaries.
What makes a masía so special is the honesty of the building. There is nothing imposed, nothing fake. Everything is functional and at the same time beautiful in its simplicity. The stones carry the stories of centuries.
From decay to rebirth
In the twentieth century, many masías were abandoned. The move to the city caused families to leave their estates behind. Entire generations grew up in Barcelona and Girona, while their grandparents' masías slowly fell into ruin.
But in recent decades there has been a turning point. More and more people are rediscovering the value of these historical country houses. With love and craftsmanship, masías are being restored, preserving authentic details and combining them with modern comfort. Air conditioning behind centuries-old walls. A luxury bathroom next to original stone arches. The old and the new exist side by side, not as a compromise but as an enrichment.
Mas Corazón: a masia with a soul
Dorien van Nieukerken, who has been working in the world of personal development and wellbeing for over forty years, spent years searching for her own place in Spain. In 2023, her path crossed with a 17th-century masía on a hill near Tordera, on the Costa Brava.
“When I first walked across the grass and came onto the terrace, I knew immediately,” she says. “This place had something. An energy, a warmth. The previous owner had maintained the estate with so much love that you could feel that care in every stone.”
Dorien, who is known in the Netherlands as the founder of Heart to Heart and Heart House in Bussum and a triple-certified teacher of the Deepak Chopra programmes, had the masía completely renovated while retaining all authentic details. The wooden beamed ceilings, the stone walls, the original fireplace: everything has been preserved. At the same time, investment has been made in modern comfort, solar panels and a saltwater swimming pool.
“A masía is more than just a building,” says Dorien. “It is a living creature. The stones carry the energy of everyone who has ever lived here. We are merely the newest inhabitants in a long story. Our task is to cherish that energy and pass it on.”
Why a holiday in a masía feels so different
There is a fundamental difference between sleeping in a modern holiday apartment and staying in an authentic masia. In an apartment you are a guest. In a masia you are absorbed into something greater.
It starts with the walls. Those metre-thick stones not only block out the heat, they create a silence you cannot find anywhere else. In the morning you hear the birds, the rustle of the wind through the trees, perhaps the soft croaking of frogs in the distance. No traffic noise, no neighbours, no squeaking lifts.
Then there is the estate itself. A masía does not sit on a two-hundred-square-metre plot of land. It is surrounded by hectares of land, olive trees, fruit trees, herb gardens. At Mas Corazón you can pick fresh figs in season, right off the tree on the property.
And perhaps most importantly: the connection to nature and Catalan culture is real. You are not sleeping in a themed hotel that imitates Spain. You are sleeping in Spain, in a building that has been part of this landscape for centuries.
Farmhouses in Catalonia: where can you find them?
Masías are found throughout Catalonia, but the highest concentrations are to be found in the provinces of Girona and Barcelona. The hinterland of the Costa Brava is particularly rich in these country houses. In the hills between the coast and the Pyrenees, where the landscape rolls and the air is clear, they are scattered across the countryside.
Some masías have been converted into restaurants, wineries or olive oil producers. Others have become holiday homes, where families and groups can experience the Catalan countryside. And a few, such as Mas Corazón, combine the holiday feeling with a deeper layer: space for reflection, yoga, meditation and personal growth.
More than bricks and mortar
Ultimately, a masía is a philosophy. It is the belief that a building is more than its function. That the place where you sleep, eat and live has an impact on how you feel. The Catalans have understood this for centuries. The masía is proof of that.
Whether you are coming for a family group holiday, a retreat or simply a few days of relaxation, a stay in a genuine masía leaves an impression that goes further than a pretty photo on your phone. It touches something deeper. Something akin to recognition, of coming home to a place you have never been before.
Curious about our 17th-century masía? Read more about the estate or have a look at the photos.
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