The giants of the three hills

In Caldes in Roman times, then called Aquae Calidae, there were three hills from which hot water would rise: Las Almas, Sant Grau and Las Moleres. The Romans were the first to make use of this water and its miraculous virtues.But when the Roman Empire fell, it entered a time of insecurity and invasions, forcing the locals to shelter in the mountains. However, before doing so, they sent a pair of giants from the Italian Peninsula who become guardians so that they could look after its hydrothermal emergencies.

While the invasions by the barbarians of the north continued, the Sarracens, with more knowledge of the magical and therapeutic values of the waters, tried to take over Caldes. The presence of our giants, faithful guardians of the waters and the hills, initially scared the Muslims, who came up with a strategy to counteract it. They brought from the very centre of Africa a ferocious monster to scare our giants. The monster managed to snatch away the first hill, Las Almas, and the giants began their counterattack. The female giant used grace and beauty to make the monster fall in love, and the male giant used reasoned, measured and timely dialogue with legal and pacifist arguments. It was all in vain. The monster persisted in its attempt to appropriate the other two hills.

And here is when chance and nature came to the aid of the locals. When the monster stepped on the third hill, a great earthquake opened a large fissure in the earth, precisely where the feared beast was, who fortunately descended to the centre of the earth. And thanks to the Roman giants of Caldes and the strength of the nature from which the thermal waters came, we can still today enjoy the wonderful hot waters of Caldes.