Two atmospheric, hidden medieval villages in Catalunya

During our post-Christmas excursion through Catalunya, we were fortunate to have the time to take a leisurely tour of several pueblos con encanto, charming villages dating from the Middle Ages, all beautifully well-preserved.


From our base at the newly redecorated Parador high atop the Sau reservoir outside of Vic, we recently took a memorable day trip to tiny Tavertet and slightly larger Rupit. Both are two of the most photographed, highly picturesque hilltop villages in the Barcelona province, reminiscent of the Luberon hill towns of Provence, but less manicured, far more rustic and happily, are minus the tourist hordes.


Tavertet is found well off the beaten tourist path, nestled at the end of a 13-kilometer, narrow, winding road through a forest and craggy limestone outcrops. But this a detour well worth the trouble-to discover a hidden village of remarkable beauty, tranquility and with breathtaking views. The village is so well preserved that everything looks brand new. Although the majority of the homes date from the 17th-18th centuries, the new dwellings, getaway homes for the wealthy of Barcelona, have been built following the traditional style of stone and slate so as to blend perfectly with the ancient houses. The immaculately kept town, with only 40 full time residents, consists of two main streets, a Romanesque church, a rebost (village store, bar and local hangout), one gastronomic restaurant, Faves Comptades, a few traditional inns to feed the weekend day-trippers, one cute B&B, and a few cottages to rent. Following the path from the church leading away from the town, you’ll come to a magnificent but dizzying viewpoint at the edge of the rocky cliffs of Tavertet, with indescribable views across the valley to the Sau reservoir. This hamlet is very worthy of your discovery.



Equally pretty Rupit, with its 340 inhabitants, has been well discovered, and known as one of the most beautiful villages in all of Catalunya, but it remains remarkably unspoiled. After driving the meandering road from Vic through rugged grazing lands, you will reach the 1 km. detour to the town but must leave your car in the lot in the “new” town and walk to the medieval side. Entrance to the village is via a suspension footbridge across the brook that divides the town. With its ruggedly steep streets, ancient stone houses, some dating from the 16th century and all with hanging balconies bedecked with geraniums and dried flowers at each door, medieval Rupit is as picturesque as they come. This makes for a fine stop at lunch hour, as the friendly Hostal Estrella on the main square serves rich and hearty mountain cuisine at very low prices.

Contact us about preparing a custom package for you to explore this delightful area of Catalunya.

Adventures in the Priorat

It was very warm the last week of June in Catalunya, but a perfect time to explore this rugged wine region located west of Tarragona, about a one and a half hour drive south of Barcelona. Although not as well known within Spain as the Rioja and Ribera del Duero wine regions, the Priorat was first introduced to the United States several years ago and continues to offer some of the best and most expensive wines available on the market today, including those from Cellers Capafons-Ossó, Vall Llach, Cims de Porrera, Clos Dominic, Masia Duch (El Tancat), Clos Berenguer, Mas Sinén and even the small, and difficult to find, Celler del Pont. The productions are small, but the rich reds and succulent whites are well worth the price.

We were fortunate to be able to meet some of the Priorat’s most acclaimed pioneer winemakers, including Carlos Pastrana, owner of Clos de l’Obac, known for being passionate about his wines, and given a private Jeep tour of some of the most remote and steeply terraced vineyards in the region by the winemakers themselves, including a four-hour long visit with Francese Capafons of Capafons-Ossó, the maker of the esteemed Mas de Masos, rated as one of the 10 best wines in the world.



Dining in the Priorat can be as rewarding an experience as the wine tasting itself, with excellent village restaurants serving both traditional Catalan cuisine (El Cairat & Fonda La Figuera) and more contemporary fare (Celler de Gratallops & Celler d’Aspec), all sporting extensive yet surprisingly reasonably priced wine lists, showcasing the best of the Montsant and Priorat D.O.s.

Meandering the Ribeira Sacra

Using the Parador of San Vicente do Pino, a reconverted Benedictine Monastery, in Monforte de Lemos as a base, we spent 4 intensive days touring the out-of-the-way, exquisitely rural, ancient Ribeira Sacra, or ‘Sacred Bank” (noted as such for its wealth of monastic retreats). Without a doubt, it is one of the most stunningly picturesque wine growing regions of Spain! The rich, rugged canyons formed by the Miño and Sil rivers are covered with steeply terraced vineyards, vines cascading down the precipitous slopes to the very edge of the meandering rivers below. The harvests here require arduous, back breaking labor to collect the grapes from these plunging slopes.
Smaller than the Rioja, but slightly larger and with an even more dramatic landscape than the Priorat, the Ribeira Sacra has been growing wine for 2,000 years, its terraces (bancales) dating back to the Roman occupation. They produce lighter, lively, fruity, mineral-rich wines, primarily mencía-based reds and godello-based whites, along with fine liqueurs, or orujos. Adegas Vía Romana and Adegas Regina Viarum enjoy two of the most spectacularly beautiful and panoramic locations of any winery we’ve visited and are truly “must sees” for wine lovers.

Along with winery visits, we toured the area’s vast array of Baroque monasteries and Romanesque hermitages and purchased ceramics from the artisan hamlets of Gundivós and Niñodaguia.

The Ribeira Sacra wines are attracting world-wide attention, and we promise that once you try them, you will definitely be hooked!

Navigating the Rías Baixas

Road signs in Galicia can be challenging, but navigating the Rías Baixas (Lower Estuaries) region proved to be most difficult due to poor or non-existent signage. Therefore, when touring the area, the help of a local guide is strongly advised.

Like the Ribeira Sacra, this D.O. is divided into 5 sub zones, the largest being the Val do Salnés, Salnés valley, consisting of rolling fields laced with stone and wire trellises (parrales) used to lift the vines away from the damp soil, towards the sunshine and to provide ventilation and prevent rot. The vineyards are planted predominately with the resistant albariño grape (Spain’s most expensive), and these rather feminine wines taste intensely fruity- peach, pear, citrus flavors.

Along with the Palacio de Fefiñanes, located in the wine capital of Cambados on its handsome medieval square, we found the countryside Pazo de Señorás and Agro de Bazán to be the most charming and welcoming.

Both boast stunning Pazos, or ancestral manor homes, these usually with private chapel, garden, hórreo (stone granary built on stilts) and dovecote. And both wineries produce delicate, aromatic wines that pare perfectly with the region’s superb seafood.

Although we based in Cambados at the Parador del Albariño, we also recommend the elegant, Belle Epoque spa hotel, the 5-star Gran Hotel on the pine covered island of A Toxa as a pampering, relaxing base.

While in the area one should also visit the 12th century Monastery of Armenteira, the 16th century Monastery of Poio and picturesque village of Combarro with its line up of hórreos facing the river.

Following the Miño - the Ribeiro wines

Ribeiro (Ourense province), the oldest appellation in Galicia, in medieval times, under the reign of King García I, saw its wines, the potent tostados, exported from the court of Ribadavia to almost the whole of Europe. Ribadavia’s thriving Jewish community became rich thanks to the pre-Inquisition wine commerce. In the 16th century Ribeiro wine was revered throughout Europe and even shipped to America. Cervantes described Ribadavia as Spain’s “Mother of Wine”. But in the 18th century the vineyards suffered a sharp decline as foreign wine merchants moved on to Porto. Then in the 19th century a vine plague devastated the Ribeiro wine industry.

The vineyards here are situated in the deep green hills that slope down to four rivers that irrigate this pastoral land. (Ribeiro in the Gallego language meaning “River Bank”).
At his Viña Mein estate in Leiro, ex-attorney Javier Alén has been a pioneer in the renaissance of Ribeiro wines, returning to its native grapes, and bringing the Treixadura, called the “queen of all white grapes”, on to the world’s stage. Adjacent to the winery, the owners have created a cozy and charming 8-room B&B from the original stone farmstead, which makes a delightful retreat for oenophiles. Viña Mein also owns a strikingly avant-garde, boutique hotel, a member of the prestigious Rusticae group, in the hamlet of San Clodio, adjacent to the Monastery.

Other noteworthy wine estates to include on your Ribeiro itinerary: The Coto do Gomariz and Casal de Armán, an 18th century winery with atmospheric 8-room hotel and delightful bistro with heavenly views.

The wines of Northern Portugal

From the Ribeiro we crossed the Miño river and stepped back 30 years in time. The Portuguese Minho, far more pristine than its Spanish counterpart, is endowed with a number of highly photogenic fortress towns with their defensive walls and watch towers intact, filled with magnificently restored churches, beautifully manicured gardens, quintas (noble estates) and mosaic cobbled squares, along with thermal spas. Vila de Cerveira, Caminha, Monçao and Melgaço all delight visitors with their Old World charm.

In Melgaço, gateway to the Peneda-Gerês National Park, we dropped in to sample the area’s crisp, refreshing, slightly effervescent alvarinho vinho verde. Sampling here couldn’t be more pleasurable in the village’s Solar do Alvarinho wine center, a showcase for these fresh white wines, along with local cheeses, sausages, honey and handicrafts, including exquisite embroidered linens.

And a visit to the northern Minho valley wouldn’t be complete without an unforgettable gourmet lunch at Adega do Sossego in Peso. A tucked- away charmer, it serves gargantuan portions of local specialties, such as grilled trout stuffed with country ham, washed down with the house alvarinho wine, and ending with a complimentary miniature vat of their homemade digestif.

Following the wine routes of Galicia & Northern Portugal’s Minho Valley

We recently spent 17 days exploring Spain’s lush, misty, and verdant northwest corner: the land of the fierce Atlantic with its spectacular cliffs, of mighty rivers gushing through deep gorges, of chestnut, pine and eucalyptus forests, of Celtic heritage, legends and myths, of bagpipes, dolmens and petroglyphs, of stunning medieval architecture dotting the countryside along the various pilgrimage routes to Santiago. Galicia also offers wild horses roaming the high mountain Serras, stately granite manor homes covered with blankets of moss, lively outdoor markets with bubbling cauldrons of pulpo a feira (octopus), more festivals that one can begin to count and 1,300 kilometers of coastline with unique Rías or low estuaries that supply the region with an astounding bounty of fish and shellfish.

Galicia is blessed with a unique mix of favorable microclimates which, along with lemon, orange and palm trees, afford it five principal wine making regions,with their official Denominaciones de Origen, three of which we toured in depth: the Ribeira Sacra, Rías Baixas and Ribeiro. These three wine producing areas encompass the provinces of Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra and are currently enjoying a growing international recognition for excellence.