I spend the afternoon on several visits: the Tines of the Vall del Montcau, huge dry stone constructions in which wine was made at the foot of the vineyard when the Bages district was one of Catalonia’s leading producers; the town of Mura, an official Charming Village which retains a spectacular medieval centre in the midst of its cobbled streets and an interesting mill with more than a thousand years of history; and the nearby Sant Benet de Bages monastery, a well-preserved medieval monastery where I can learn how the monks lived between the walls of the church, the cloister and their cells. The complex has incorporated a innovative modern culinary research centre, the Alícia Foundation, which promotes the benefits of healthy eating; three restaurants and a grocery store selling organic products.
I continue onward to the outskirts of Solsona in the Lleida province, where I have booked a night at an old farmhouse in the Vall de Lord.
