What to visit
The Priorat is a region of Catalonia that is characterized by its mountainous landscape, its vineyards and its historical and cultural heritage. It is an ideal destination for lovers of nature, wine and gastronomy, who will be able to enjoy hiking routes, wineries with designation of origin, charming towns and Romanesque monuments.
ESCALA DEI
An almost mandatory visit to learn about the history and origins of the Priorat region. Its beginnings go back to the 12th century, when some Carthusian monks came from Provence and founded, under the protection of Montsant, the first Carthusian monastery in the Iberian Peninsula. They chose a unique place, protected by the Serra Major de Montsant, where a shepherd had dreamed of angels ascending to heaven by a ladder hung from the trunk of a pine tree, hence the name Escaladei or “ladder of God”.
The Charterhouse lived through periods of great splendor. For seven centuries, the monks populated the fields, built mills and spread the cultivation of the vine among the people of the region. The Prior, hence the name of the region, was the general battle of the towns in the central area of the current Priorat, roughly coinciding with those that are today within the Priorat Qualified Designation of Origin.
With the confiscation of Mendizábal, in 1835, the monks fled and the splendid monastery was left in ruins, looted by peasants tired of paying tithes and submission. Today you can enjoy a guided tour of the exterior of the three cloisters, the church and refectory, as well as a cell reconstructed in every detail.
SIURANA
Enchanting village in the middle of a formidable location under the gaze of the Serra del Montsant, the Gritella and the Prades Mountains. The last bastion of the Saracen resistance in Catalonia, the town of Siurana was marked by the living legend of a Moorish queen, which today has become the story most desired by all who visit the area.
The story explains that Abdelazia, daughter of Valí de Siurana, when the Christian troops arrived in 1153, preferred to jump into the abyss of the cliff with her horse rather than fall into enemy hands. The horse, in its futile resistance, left a footprint on the rock, which can still be seen today on the cliff known as “El Salt de la Reina Mora”. With Abdelazia, the last Saracen bastion of Catalonia disappeared.
Today, it is a beautiful village of houses and cobbled streets where the remains of the Muslim fortress, located at the entrance to the village, and the Romanesque church of Santa Maria stand out. At its feet, a swamp of clean and calm waters allows you to practice all kinds of water sports.
SERRA DEL MONTSANT NATURAL PARK
Declared a Natural Park in 2002, the Serra de Montsant is quite a symbol for Priorat and the Tarragona regions. It is a compact massif, with most of its perimeter walled by cliffs and rocks of Oligocene conglomerates. To enter it, you have to choose a grade, one of the steps that allow you to overcome the cliffs. There are relatively comfortable ones, followed by horseshoe paths and others that only allow people to pass through, very airy and often surprising. At its feet rest all the towns of the region, leaving magnificent views from the top of the Serra.
Montsant was a “mountain of blessing” for the Arabs and “holy” for the Christians. A true sanctuary, abode of the gods and stronghold of the contemplative visa; kingdom of silence, solitude and austerity. A large rock bastion with nine hermitages, from La Foia to Sant Salvador, and from Sant Bartomeu to Mare de Déu del Montsant.
Unspoiled and protected mountain range with more than 9,000 hectares of natural park. A thousand places that impress and are very well preserved: from the deep caves in the gorge of Fraguerau, from the Toll de l’Ou to the Clot del cire, from La Cogulla to the pine of Cugat.
The spiritual relationship that men have had with Montsant for centuries has given it a very special status. The foundation of the first monastery in the entire Iberian peninsula -Scala Dei- and the intense hermit tradition, which has lasted until today, are good proof of the profound symbolic value of the mountain.
BELLMONT MINES
The Eugènia Mine, which was the most important lead mine in Catalonia, has a total of 20 underground plants. The guided tours allow you to go down to the first floor, 35 meters deep, and cover around 700 meters from the first gallery. Interesting tour accompanied by a modern exhibition and an optional walk through the mining colony of the town of Bellmunt del Priorat.
The visit to the mine allows you to learn first-hand the history of the Eugènia mine, the working techniques used in the mines and the working conditions of the miners.
The visit to the mine is always guided and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Each visit admits a maximum of 30 people.
Before taking the guided tour, it is recommended to have visited the Museum’s permanent exhibition, as well as to have seen the audiovisual, which is projected before entering the mine. Once inside, you can tour different galleries where you can appreciate the mineral wealth of the subsoil, the extraction techniques and the hard work of the miners.