Camp de Tarragona

2023 marks the centenary of the death of the Modernista architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. A stroll through Reus is like a celebration of his work because some of his most outstanding works, contemporaneous with those of other renowned Modernista architects such as Antoni Gaudí, are to be found here.
 
The Casa Navàs is in the Plaça del Mercadal which, lined with café terraces, is an ideal place to verify the fame of Reus' vermouth. The Casa Navàs is the only Modernista building in Europe to have kept its original interior, remarkable on account of its more than 200 square metres of stained glass windows, its work in stone and its embroidered tapestries, amongst other jewels. The Domènech i Montaner route continues on to the Casa Rull, built in 1900, just as Modernisme was expanding its influence. It stands on a corner making it easier to admire its doorways, Gothic-inspired windows and the crenellations that crown the facade.  Just a few metres away is the Casa Gasull, which was commissioned ten years later by the olive oil merchant, Pere Gasull. It differs from the Casa Rull insofar as it shows the influence of Noucentisme on Domènech i Montaner's architecture. He was also responsible for the interior design of the impressive library in the Casa Pau Font de Rubinat and for the refurbished facade of the Casa Llopis Borràs in Carrer Raval de Sant Pere in Reus.
 
The Pavelló dels Distingits ('Pavilion of the Distinguished') of the Institut Pere Mata, on the outskirts of Reus, is another of Domènech i Mon­taner's celebrated works. Its astonishing ornamentation makes it the building with the highest artistic value amongst the institution's architectural ensemble. For a journey back to the time it was built, Còdol Educació has programmed theatrical visits that also include the Modernista architecture and decoration of this building that was so exemplary for the treatment of 20th-century patients with mental illnesses. The route concludes at the municipal cemetery, which is also on the outskirts of Reus, for which Domènech i Mon­taner was commissioned for the design of the Margenat chapel, which has quadrangular floor plan and a ribbed vault. While the paving has highly varied decoration, the chapel walls are divided into two parts by a frieze depicting flowers and angels in relief. 
 

BAIX PENEDÈS

ALT CAMP

From Baix Penedès we go now to Alt Camp, where one of the jewels of Jujol's legacy awaits us, the sanctuary of La Mare de Déu de Montserrat, which crowns the Corralet de Montferri hill. Its interior structure is spectacular. It has one hundred and twenty catenary arches that create the shape of a ship pointed as if ready to sail to the mountains of Montserrat, Jujol's source of inspiration.

TARRAGONÈS

We continue the excursion in the Tarragonès district, stopping first in the centre of Vistabella, in La Secuita. The church of Sagrat Cor is one of Jujol's few newbuild constructions in the Camp de Tarragona, and he achieved it almost without resources. The land was given by a rich donor, the stones came from ploughing the earth and labour was voluntary. And the result? A building with a spire visible throughout the district.

In Els Pallaresos we visit the Casa Bofarull, which Jujol spent eighteen years restoring. Animals, flowers and colours abound in the decoration of the house in a festival of natural features that reflect its rural setting.

The Jujol Centre in Els Pallaresos is also well worth a visit. It is located in the former Town Council and school building, a building he designed himself between 1917 and 1920.

We finish our excursion in the city of Tarragona, at the Teatre Metropol, which was commissioned from Jujol as a young man, just as he was embarking on his career as an independent architect after having worked alongside Gaudí. It was a very daring, highly imaginative and well-executed project, inspired by the waves of the sea beating against the hull of a ship.

The regions of the Camp de Tarragona constitute the basis for this route. A region that concentrates most of the cooperative wineries of Catalonia.

Here we see several "wine cathedrals" such as those of L'Espluga de Francolí, Rocafort de Queralt, Barberà de la Conca and Nulles. To this group we must also add the "wine cathedrals" of Priorat (Cornudella de Montsant and Falset) and Terra Alta (Pinell de Brai and Gandesa).
 
TRADITION AND INNOVATION

To these well known wineries others, such as that of the Sindicat Agrícola de Vila-Rodona, that of Pla de Santa Maria, Santes Creus and Aiguamúrcia must also be added. The façade of this last one evokes the rural Catalan architecture in the form of a large country manor house. Inside, we can see the traditional features, such as the wooden trusses that support the roof, and other innovative elements, such as the parabolic arches on both sides.
 
THE CISTERCIAN AND ROMAN TRACK

Well worth visiting is the Cistercian Monastery of Santes Creus, where the remains of King Peter the Great lie, or the old town of Alcover, with its ancient portals and walls.

There is also evidence of the Roman past, as can be seen in the Villa of Centcelles, the amphitheatre of Tarragona or the so-called "long vault", a spectacular barrel vault, 93 metres long, which could have been a public agricultural store (horreum) and which is located under the street known today as "Carrer de l'Enrajolat".
 
A WALK THROUGH THE MODERNIST TARRAGONA

If you are interested in Modernisme, in the city of Tarragona you will find the Teatro Metropol, adapted by the architect Josep Maria Jujol and the Mausoleu de Jaume I, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner. Outside the city are also Modernista traces - beyond the wineries- in the Modernista sanctuary of Montserrat de Montferri.

If you visit Tarragona in spring, you must visit the Tàrraco Viva Festival and do not leave without sampling a good "calçotada" (typical roasted spring onions with romesco sauce) in Valls! 


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MONTBLANC
 
You start in Montblanc, the capital of Conca de Barberà, to take a stroll around the historic centre and the walls, which are the scene of the legend of Sant Jordi. You can visit on your own or, if you prefer, you can contact the Tourist Office for a guided tour that will provide a more thorough treatment of the secrets of this walled town.

In Montblanc you can also visit the Muntanyes de Prades Cave Art Interpretation Centre. This mountain range contains 15 cave art locations dating from between 9,000 and 2,000 years BCE that speak to us about our forebears' real and symbolic worlds. If you want to visit the caves themselves you can contract a guided visit that will take you to them in a 4x4 vehicle. These paintings are catalogued as UNESCO World Heritage and they form part of the Museu d’Arqueologia de Catalunya Rock Art Route.

ESPLUGA DE FRANCOLÍ
 
From Montblanc you go to L’Espluga de Francolí where you are awaited by the Museu de la Vida Rural (Rural Life Museum), the Fassina Balanyà, the Museu del Vi and, above all, the Cova Museu de la Font Major, where a Palaeolithic sanctuary was recently discovered with more than 100 engravings. 

VIMBODÍ AND POBLET

Leaving Espluga you set off to Vimbodí i Poblet where you will find the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet, which is also catalogued as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monastery has a new visitor centre with videos, immersive projections and interactive panels that provide a new look at the meaning of monastic life in the 21st century. These audiovisual resources round off the visit to the three key sites of the Cistercian Route, which can be followed on foot or by bicycle, and which links this monastery with those of Santes Creus and Vallbona de les Monges.

THE ROMAN VILLA OF ELS MUNTS
 
This excursion to see Altafulla's historic heritage begins with the Els Munts Roman villa, one of the best conserved and most aristocratic villas in Roman Hispania. Located next to the sea, the inhabitants of this country residence would have enjoyed the peace and quiet of rural life and the beauty of the surrounding area, without forgoing luxury and refinement.
 
Caius and Faustina were its most illustrious inhabitants and they were the ones who made extensions to the villa and carried out refurbishments. They feature in the dramatized visit to the villa. At the villa you can also find out about other routes to follow, such as Life of the elites in Tarraco, From Els Munts to Tamarit: a trek through the natural environment from Roman times to the present day, and an activity for all the family, We're taking you to the garden!
 
CLOSED TOWN
 
The excursion continues to Altafulla to visit the walled medieval centre of the town or 'closed town', a beautiful centre declared of national cultural interest. Altafulla Tourist Office organises guided tours of this walled centre and, recently, the Town Council opened a twice-monthly free visit service to the castle for small groups of twenty. It is a unique opportunity to see inside a private fortification that is still inhabited! 
 
CLOSED TOWN IN TAMARIT
 
The next stop is the 'closed town' in Tamarit. It can not be visited, nevertheless, it is imposing to behold, especially from the beach with its postcard views. 

THE MÈDOL QUARRY
 
The excursion ends with a visit to the Mèdol quarry where most of the stone was quarried to build Roman Tarraco. Its most outstanding feature is the column that presides the quarry. It is sixteen metres high. This is also a place of ecological interest due to the microclimate it has caused.
 

When thinking about the heritage of Tarragona, Roman legacy inevitably comes to mind. However the rich Tarragonan monument goes much further beyond that. The best example? The personality of the Cistercian style, based upon Romanesque art.

THE FRONT OF THE BATTLE

We recommend you to begin on a stage that has been testimony to numerous struggles: the Terra Alta has survived the Carlist Wars and the Battle of the Ebre. Thanks to this, we can still see the church of the Assumption in Gandesa and its Romanesque entrance way with the unparalleled "signature" of the Lleidan school.

High on a hill above the Ebre one approaches the ancient home of the Templars. The imposing Miravet castle fused Muslim and Byzantine details with the Romanesque style transitioning to the Gothic. Your point of destination is Siurana where you will find the castle that was the last Muslim stronghold in Catalonia. Very close by, however, evidence has been found of even earlier inhabitants: very sharp flint stones by prehistoric man!

THE OLD TÀRRACO

The wall, the amphitheatre and the arch of Berà are testimony to the centuries of Roman influence in the area of Tàrraco. The enviable patrimony of ancient Rome was testimony to the conquest of the city by Ramon Berenguer III in the 12th century, and of the construction of the future Cathedral. This temple dedicated to Santa Maria is the jewel of the high part of Tarragona. From the exterior you can see the sarcophagus of Bethesda, a fourth century Paleochristian vestige integrated into the wall.

THE LAND OF THE CISTERCIANS

It is time to immerse yourself in the Cistercian world, that of a religious order to which two of the country's most remarkable monasteries belong. Poblet is an open history book: a mausoleum of the kings of Aragon in the past, currently it is the only Catalan monastery declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Very close by, Santes Creus represents the most authentic Cistercian style of the area. It is the only monastery of the so-called Cistercian Route that is no longer home to monastic life. Here rest the mortal remains of Pere el Gran and Roger of Llúria, two of the architects of the supremacy of the Crown of Aragon in the Mediterranean at the end of the 13th century.


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The last Sunday in January is when Valls celebrates the great Calçotada Festival, marking the beginning of the calçot season. (Calçots are a kind of spring onion, and a calçotada is an informal gathering, usually in the open air around a fire, organised to cook and eat them, along with other dishes). Tradition has it that a good calçotada, a calçotada overseen by angels, as it were, “must have the Miramar mountain range as a backdrop, have a Valls country house as a stage, and the city of Valls with its tall bell tower as the stalls". Would you like to take part in the calçot season in the place where calçotada was invented?

If so, as well as having a delicious meal, why not also visit the rich cultural offerings of Valls and its surrounding area?

VALLS AND ITS HERITAGE

Throughout the calçot season there are guided tours through the town's streets and squares, as well as to the most outstanding historical locations of this, the capital of the Alt Camp district, with an emphasis, of course, on the history of calçots, their cultivation, cuisine and related anecdotes.

If you would like to join in, or if you would like more information, just ring 977 61 25 30 or send an email to turisme@valls.cat.
 
MONASTERY OF SANTA MARIA DE SANTES CREUS

Near Valls, just 20 minutes away by car, is the Monastery of Santa Maria de Santes Creus. Why not visit it after your calçotada? There are visits on Saturdays and Sundays in January at 10.30 a.m. and 3.45 p.m. in Catalan and at 12 noon in Spanish, and on Saturdays and Sundays in February and March at 10.30 a.m. and 3.45 p.m. in Catalan and at 12 noon and 1.15 p.m. in Spanish.


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