Museu de Sant Boi de Llobregat

Seven centuries separate the stones beneath your feet from the final breath of Catalonia's most tragic hero. You're standing before Can Barraquer, a 14th-century manor house that became the deathbed of Rafael Casanova, the last head minister of Barcelona's medieval government before the city fell to Spanish forces in 1714. As you approach this weathered stone facade at Carrer del Pont 7, you're looking at what locals call the crown jewel of Sant Boi's archaeological treasures. Behind these ancient walls lies something extraordinary... the best-preserved private Roman baths in all of Catalonia, discovered by accident in 1953 when workers were digging a simple foundation. Step inside, and you'll walk through rooms where Casanova spent his final years in exile, plotting his memoirs while soaking his aging bones in thermal waters that had been flowing since the 2nd century. The Romans called this place Rubricati, meaning "red river," because the Llobregat ran crimson with iron-rich sediment for centuries. But here's the secret most visitors miss... the very walls around you tell a story of architectural recycling that spans two millennia. Can Torrents next door incorporates actual Roman stones into its 16th-century structure, while the circular Benviure tower stands guard with walls nearly two meters thick, built to defend Barcelona from Moorish raids a thousand years ago.