A visit to Escaladei is a must to discover the history and origins of the Priorat. Its story goes back to the 12th century, when Carthusian monks came from Provence to found their order’s first monastery on the Iberian peninsula, sheltering beneath the Montsant massif. With the disestablishment of the Spanish monasteries in 1835, the monks fled and the splendid complex was left in ruins, sacked by peasants tired of paying taxes and servitude to the monks. Today you can go on a guided tour around the three cloisters, the church and the refectory, as well as a monk’s cell reconstructed in painstaking detail.
Places to visit
Escala Dei
Places to visit
Siurana
A charming little village in a spectacular spot with stunning views of the massifs of the Montsant and La Gritella and the Prades mountains. The last bastion of Islamic resistance in mediaeval Catalonia, the village of Siurana is marked by the well-known legend of a Moorish queen, today the story most eagerly listened-to by everybody who visits the area. It is a pretty village with stone houses and cobbled streets, overlooked by the ruins of the Moorish fortress at the entrance to the village. Another highlight is the Romanesque church of Sant Mary. Below it lies a reservoir with clear water where you can enjoy a range of water sports.
Places to visit
Parc Natural de la Serra de Montsant
Declared a nature park in the year 2002, the Montsant is a veritable symbol of the Priorat and of southern Catalonia. It is a compact massif, largely surrounded by cliffs and rocky slopes made up of Oligocene conglomerates. To get up there, choose your grau, one of the ways up and through the cliffs. Some are relatively easy, following old mule tracks, while others are only passable on foot, with dizzying views and some surprises. From the top there are magnificent views, over all the villages nestling at its foot.
Places to visit
Castell del Vi
An exhibition space devoted to wine and the Priorat, housed in the former castle of the Counts of Prades, dating back to the 12th century, from which you can see the whole of the town of Falset. Modern facilities and advanced technology take you on a journey through the culture of wine in the Priorat, a world away from the approach of more conventional wine museums. Interactive and audio-visual features are used to show you the history of this wine-making area in a clear, entertaining way.
Places to visit
Mines de Bellmunt
The Mina Eugènia, in its day the most important lead mine in Catalonia, has a total of 20 underground galleries. Guided tours take you down into the first of these, 35 metres (over 100 feet) underground, to explore some 700 metres (2,300 feet) of this first gallery. A fascinating visit rounded off by a modern exhibition and an optional stroll round the part of the village where the miners lived.