Can Canal

Can Canal is a historic masia (traditional Catalan country house) in Cabrera de Mar, a small town in the Maresme region on the coast north of Barcelona. The building sits on Camí del Manantial and is listed in the Catalan Inventory of Architectural Heritage.

What is Can Canal?

Can Canal belongs to a large family of masies scattered across the hills of Maresme — rural manor houses that, since the Middle Ages, served as both home and administrative center for the region's landowning families. The house is also known by two other names, Can Miralles and Can Bassegoda, each tied to a different family that owned it over the centuries. Today it remains private property, but its exterior architecture is visible from the road and forms one of the stops on a walk through the older, rural side of Cabrera de Mar.

How do you get to Can Canal?

Cabrera de Mar sits right along the C-32 motorway and the Rodalies commuter rail line linking Barcelona with the Maresme coast, so the easiest approach is a regional train to Cabrera de Mar-Vilassar station, followed by a short walk or a quick drive to Camí del Manantial. Drivers can park in the town center and continue on foot, since the surrounding roads are narrow rural lanes with limited parking near the house itself. It is worth planning the route in advance, as Can Canal has no dedicated visitor parking.

What will you see there?

The house has a two-pitched roof and the layout typical of a masia: ground floor, first floor, and an attic space. The entrance is a round, voussoired stone archway, with a stone bench built into the wall on its right side — a detail found in several old masies of the area, originally meant for residents and visitors waiting outside. The façade was once decorated with sgraffito (a technique of scratching patterns into wet plaster) and is now whitewashed, but it still carries a sundial engraved with the building's key dates: construction in the 13th century, and restorations in 1903 and 1942. The grounds also include a cellar and outbuildings tied to the property's farming past, and beneath the house lies an underground grotto, an unusual feature among the neighboring farmhouses.

What is the history behind the building?

The earliest surviving record of the property dates to 1289, naming Arnau Valromanes as owner. The Canal family, which gave the house its current name, has been documented in Cabrera de Mar since the 14th century. In 1862, Cristóbal Vendrell sold the estate to the Bassegoda family, which is where the alternate name Can Bassegoda comes from. Ownership changed again around 1941, when the Maluquer family purchased the house. This long chain of owners, stretching back to the medieval period, is part of why the building was recognized as a piece of the region's architectural heritage.

When is the best time to visit?

Since Can Canal is viewed mainly from the outside, the best time to come is during good light — morning or late afternoon, when the sun brings out the detail on the façade and the stone portal. Maresme has a mild Mediterranean climate, so spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for walking the surrounding country roads, avoiding the peak summer heat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you go inside Can Canal? No — it is a private residence, still lived in. It is best appreciated from the outside, from the road.

Where does the name Can Canal come from? From the Canal family, documented in Cabrera de Mar since the 14th century. The house has also carried the historical names Can Miralles and Can Bassegoda, after later owners.

Is it worth combining with other sights in Cabrera de Mar? Yes — the town has several other heritage masies and archaeological sites nearby, making it easy to turn the visit into a longer historical walk.

How do you get there without a car? The most convenient option is the Rodalies regional train to Cabrera de Mar-Vilassar station, followed by a short walk.