El Fonoll, the naturist village where wearing clothes is prohibited: "If any voyeurs come, we'll redirect them."

Living naked. That's, in essence, the philosophy of this Tarragona village, which was built on the ruins of a 14th-century medieval town back in 1995. Its founders, Emili Vives and Núria Espinal, dreamed of building a place where they could freely practice the values ​​of naturism, and they finally made it a reality.

"Naturism is a philosophy of life that's about living in harmony with nature. This means healing with natural means, eating as healthy and natural food as possible, and respecting life," Emili Vives tells 20minutos . "It's about enjoying the pleasure of feeling the sun, the water, or the wind on your entire body, and of course, this includes nudism," she clarifies. But beyond nudity, "which is probably what draws the most attention," there are values ​​of respect and coexistence with nature.

For eight long years, the couple—who already practiced this philosophy with their children— completely renovated the village, tile by tile , using their own money to turn it into a naturist community. "I bought it when I was 43, started the work when I was 46, and I'm still here, now 73. Imagine how my life has been," Vives recalls with nostalgia.

In this space of freedom located in the heart of a 200-hectare forest of elm, pine, and ash trees, there are only fifteen rules. The first of these: "Weather permitting, we will observe all nude scenes ." The rest of the rules, in short, consist of respecting naturist values: recycling, no smoking, no photography or recording, and protecting the flora and fauna.

"For naturists, it's common sense, and there's no need to even talk about it," explains the founder of El Fonell. But what if someone oversteps the boundaries? "The advantage is that since it's a private town, it's private property, so, to put it mildly, I'm the sheriff , right?" jokes Vives.

Life (naked) in El Fonoll

Life in El Fonoll is almost like any other village. There's a hostel, supermarket, apartments, a movie theater, a nightclub, a massage parlor, a solarium, vegetable gardens, a volleyball court, and even a Wi-Fi zone for the thirty residents who live there permanently and for visitors who, on weekends, swell the number to nearly 150.

To access and use the facilities, however, you must purchase an access pass, which costs 4 euros for the holder and 1 euro for their companion. "Everything here is included in that price," explains Emili. If you also want to sleep at El Fonoll, you have to add the price of accommodation. "Summer is a very good time because at least we make a little money for the whole year," he acknowledges.

Community life is one of the most valued assets of this community. That's why there's never a shortage of activities here. "This week, for example, we had a festival, a good dinner, games, dancing, a movie, and then we also go on excursions, play sprints... Now we're planning a poetry and photography contest , and well, we're always busy with something," Vives says proudly.

And when there's no revelry, everyone goes about their own business, "like in any normal town," he explains. "I'm already retired, but I go to the garden, I grow my lettuce, my tomato plants, my things, others work outside, others are retired and don't do any work anymore... everyone has their own routine ," he adds.

Like any place, no matter how remote, in El Fonoll there are traditions that give meaning to the passage of time. Every Sunday, throughout the year, residents and visitors gather around the picnic area to prepare a large vegetarian paella with ingredients they have harvested from the community gardens. It's their way of closing out the week: sharing what the land gives them, celebrating the simple life, and remembering that living in harmony with nature also means living in harmony with others.