Alta
Garrotxa
La Vall de Bianya
Scattered along the floor of one of the prettiest
valleys in the Eastern pyrenees, the village
is surrounded by a handful of hamlets and scattered
farmhouses. On the north east edge of the Garrotxa
region, the village has a population of 1000
people.
La Vall de Bianya has a couple of shops and
a restaurants.
The village is located away from the main roads,
13km from Olot, 40km from Girona, 70km from
the coast and 2 hours from Barcelona.
Sant Joan les Fonts
Just north of Olot, the small medieval town
of Sant Joan les Fonts lies next to the Fluvià
river. A restored medieval bridge crosses the
river and leads into the picturesque town. The
most striking view in Sant Joan is the ancient
Benedictine monastery-church, a massive Romanesque
structure made of reddish stone with a round
rose window and arched tower.
The Festa Major is held on 24th June.
There are a couple of shops and restaurants
in Sant Joan and a market on Sunday mornings.
The village of 3000 people is withing easy reach
of Olot by car or by bus.
Castellfollit de la Roca
Built on the edge of a sheer 60m precipice above
the Fluvià river, Castellfollit makes
a stunning site. The town’s church is
flanked by a cluster of houses that, from a
distance, look like they are dangerously close
to the edge of the drop. Most of the houses
are built from volcanic rock and the town’s
dark, narrow streets are quite enchanting. There
is a Museum of Sausages in the village (the
Museu de l’Embotit) that is run by a family
of sausage makers, sausages being an important
aspect of the gastronomy of the surrounding
area. Castellfolllit is the starting point of
some excellent trekking country, being the gateway
to the Natural Park of the Volcanic Area of
the Garrotxa. The amazing sites in the park
include over 40 forested volcanic cones and
20 lava flows which make up a unique landscape.
With a population of about 1000, Castellfollit
attracts a number of visitors and has several
restaurants, pensions and local shops. An open
air public swimming pool operates in the summer.
Castellfollit is a few kilometres north east
of Olot on the N-260 road.
Continuing past Castellfollit on the N-260,
is the quiet village of Sant Jaume de
Llierca (800 inhabitants) and then
Argelaguer (360 inhabitants).
There is a golf course near
Argelaguer and just outside the village is the
curious sight of a four-story maze, constructed
from entirely from twigs – an excersise
undertaken by a local man purely for his own
diversion.
Besalú
This intriguing town is approached by a huge
medieval stone bridge, topped with a gatehouse
complete with portcullis, that crosses the river
Fluvià. The town itself is a wonderfully
preserved medieval village where both Catholics
and Jews lived in the Middle ages. Declared
a national historical and artistic site, Besalú
contains the Miqwe – the Jewish Purification
baths as well as a number of Catholic buildings
dating from the same era. These Jewish baths
are the only of their kind remaining in Spain.
The town’s picturebook interior consists
of steep, twisting streets, shadowed archways
and dusty main squares. The town can get busy
in the daytime with daytrippers from the Costa
Brava.
There are plenty of shops, cafés and
bars in this town of 2000 people, as well as
local craft shops and an excellent delicatessan.
The weekly market is held on Tuesdays.
Besalú is on the main N-260 road, 25km
from Figueres and Girona.
Tortellà
This village of 700 people has several quirks
that make it unique. The town has a long tradition
of manufacturing wooden spoons, originally crafted
by hand but today an industrialised process.
The streetlamps in the market square have been
built in the shape of spoons in acknowledgement
of this. Tortellà’s Romanesque
bridge spans the Lierca river and is an impressive
sight. The bridge area is popular with bathers
in the summer. Tortellà is also remarkable
for its large number of musicians residing in
the village belonging to different ‘coblas’
or traditional Catalan music groups.
For such a small village, there are plenty of
shops including 3 butchers selling the sausages
famous in the Garrotxa region, 2 bars and a
restaurant. A pharmacy operates on the town
square and there is a surgery in the village.
A public swimming pool, tennis court and childrens
playground are available for use.
Tortellà is located off the N-260 road,
30km from Figueres.
East of Tortellà is the tiny hamlet
of Sales de Llierca and beyond
that, Beudà another
small place with a population of 100. Perched
on the slopes of a hill amongst the trees, Beudà
is a perfect countryside location. The remains
of a 10th century Moorish castle can be found
in the hills above the village. A handful of
hostels and a restaurant operate here. Beyond
Beudà is the village of Maià
de Montcal. A small place with 300
inhabitants and a pleasant historic centre.
This village contains some shops and a public
swimming pool. |
