Page 196 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

194  NOR THERN SP AIN REGION B Y REGION

g Sort All, Olopte, Mosoll and Bastanit.
The village of Bellver still has
Lleida. Road Map E5. * 2,275. n its 13th-century town walls.
Camí de la Cabanera s/n; 973 62 10 02.
_ Fiesta Major (1 Aug). ∑ sort.cat Cerdanya is a major winter
sports area, especially around
A pretty mountain town, Sort La Molina, which is one of the
has a charming historic quarter, largest ski resorts in Catalonia.
home to the remains of a castle Other resorts include Masella
and the Gothic church of Sant and Aransa.
Feliu. It is a popular destination
for sports’ enthusiasts – local
activities include kayaking, white- k Puigcerdà
water rafting, hiking and skiing Girona. Road Map F5. * 9,120.
in nearby Port-Ainé (16 km/10 n Plaça Santa María; 972 88 05 42.
miles). Sort is Catalan for “luck”, ( Sun. _ Fiesta del Lago (third
and the town is said to boast Sunday in Aug). ∑ puigcerda.cat
more winning lottery tickets
than anywhere else in Spain. A popular ski centre in winter,
and a magnet for walkers and
A street in Bellver, located in the verdant climbers in summer, this is the
h La Seu d’Urgell Cerdanya valley main town of the Spanish side
of the Cerdanya. It is set among
Lleida. Road Map E5. * 13,000.
n C/Major 8; 973 35 15 11. ( Tue microclimate, with balmy hills at an altitude of 1,202 m
and Sat. _ Fiesta Mayor (last week summers and lush countryside (3,944 ft), next to the French
in Aug). ∑ turismeseu.com known for its dairy produce. border. The name of the town,
The border between Spain which was estab lished in 1177
Set in a valley between the and France, agreed in 1659, runs by Alfonso II, king of Aragón, is
Segre and Valira rivers, this right across the valley. Puigcerdà derived from the Catalan word
medieval town contains the is the main town on the Spanish puig (hill). Territorial disputes,
only Romanesque cathedral in side, and Font-Romeu on the involving France and Spain,
Catalonia, the 12th-century Santa French side. One village, Llívia, were settled by the Peace of
María d’Urgell. Ramón Llambard is Spanish but encircled entirely the Pyrenees of 1659, under
worked on the construction of by French territory. Items from which Puigcerdà remained
the church until 1175, but it its historic pharmacy, one of Spanish, although Cerdanya
remains unfinished to this day. Europe’s oldest, are displayed was divided by a new border.
The town’s main thorough fare at the Museo de Llívia. In the town centre is a large
is the Carrer de Canonges, lined Among the sites to be seen man-made lake established
with handsome houses, includ- are Neolithic dolmens in Eina, in 1310 to channel water from
ing the Ca l’Armenter, a property Brangulí, Oren, Talltendre and Querol; it helped to popu larize
of the influential de los Luna fam- Paborde. In Talló there is the Via ice-skating in Spain.
ily from Aragón, one of whose Ceretana – a Roman road, as The parish church of 1288
members was Pope Benedict XIII. well as a Romanesque cathedral. suffered damage during a fire;
The town also has ski-lifts and There are impressive churches its present appearance dates
former Olympic buildings. in several villages, such as Ix, from a partial reconstruction
Planés, Dorres, Guils, Talltorta, in 1938, though the interior
Tarteras, Meránges, Ger, Saga, contains medieval fragments.
j Cerdanya
Road Map F5. n Puigcerdà; 972 88 Catalan Romanesque Churches
05 42.
Simple and beautifully proportioned, the Romanesque style
This large valley on the borders flourished across western Europe from the 10th to the 13th centuries.
of Catalonia, France and Andorra The high valleys of the Catalan
is ringed by peaks over 2,000 m Pyrenees are espe cially rich in
(6,560 ft) high. Cerdanya is also Romanesque building, with a
bordered in the south by distinctive style seen in the great
Catalonia’s largest nature park – monas teries of Ripoll and Sant Joan de
Cadí-Moixero. From the popular les Abadesses or the village churches
observation point at Balcón de of the Vall de Boí or the Cerdanya. The
churches display tall belfries, massive
la Cerdanya extend views of the round apses and an extraordi nary
Cadí-Moixero mountain chain, wealth of fresco painting, influenced
La Tossa, and part of the by Byzantine art.
Pyrenees’ northern axis.
Because it is unusually shel- The Romanesque church in Taüll
tered, the valley has a special
For hotels and restaurants see p207 and pp222–3

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