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This morning on Gavà beach, in Baix Llobregt, we were able to see buildings in the sea. And the magic of the Fata Morgana has returned, as we see in this snapshot in La Vanguardia's Readers' Photos.
The Fata Morgana effect is named after the Italian fata Morgana (i.e. fairy Morgana), in reference to King Arthur's half-sister (Morgan le Fay) who, according to legend, was a changeling fairy.
It is a mirage or optical illusion that is due to a temperature inversion. Objects on the horizon, such as islands, cliffs, ships or ice floes, take on a long, elevated appearance, similar to "fairy-tale castles."
The most famous Fata Morgana is the one produced on the southern coast of Sicily, in the Strait of Messina, between Calabria and Sicily.
Now, references to the so-called floating cities off the coast of Barcelona are increasing as a result of two factors.
First, the favorable weather conditions to generate the Fata Morgana effect and, secondly, the significant traffic of large ships, whether cruise ships or merchant ships, that exist in the Port of Barcelona.
