The ski resort is one of the most popular in the South of Europe, with more than 120 kilometres of ski slopes. Skiing is one of the main economic activities in the area of Vall d'Aran, in north-west Catalonia.
Catalan ski slopes attracted thousands of tourists this holiday season. Between the 24th December and the 9th January, heavy snow and pleasant weather conditions ensured an increase in visitors compared to this time last year. Ski-resorts in the Pyrenees contribute greatly to the tourism industry in Catalonia.
The town of Vall de Boí hosted a 10th anniversary celebration of their recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mayor of Vall de Boí, Joan Peralada, hopes to promote more international exposure of the town’s many Romanesque churches.
Scientists from the Vall d'Hebron Institute for Research in Barcelona find that patients are more likely to develop respiratory difficulties when there is a failure in the activation of immune response genes.
The Catalan Parliament approves a law that recognises Occitan language, called Aranese in the small Aran county, as co-official in Catalonia. It will also be the preferred language in the Aran county, in Western Catalan Pyrenees. The top representative of the Aranese county, Francesc Boya says it is a “historic day” and warns that Aranese language is in an “intensive care unit”.
4 months after the surgery, the patient is said to be "happy" with his new image. The Vall d?Hebron Hospital of Barcelona performed the operation. It is the 1st full face transplant, after 13 partial face transplants in the world.
The new Research Unit for Molecular Therapy at the Vall d'Hebron Hospital will be able to treat 400 patients a year. It will study each particular tumour differently, on a case per case basis, and analyse it?s genome.