Sitges (originally a medieval fishing village) is often seen in Catalonia as a polished seaside town with an unusually open, artistic temperament. Arriving from Barcelona, the mood shifts quickly: white facades, narrow lanes, and a bright promenade set a calm stage for street life that feels social rather than showy, with the Mediterranean close enough to shape the light and the pace. In the late 19th–early 20th cc. it became a modernist refuge, a legacy still felt around Cau Ferrat and in a cultural calendar that keeps the town outward-looking. Tourism now underwrites daily life, bringing energy alongside seasonal pressure and a constant negotiation between local routines and visitor demand.