Getaway to Anoia: Castles, balloons and muleteers

We are on the border of the region of Conca de Barberà, in Sant Martí de Tous. Here, an impressive fortress ‒ admittedly quite extensively restored ‒ dominates the village and its surrounding areas. This is Tous Castle. Although the Tous family stopped living here over five centuries ago, the name lives on in the castle and the village below. Today it is a private residence but opens its doors to visitors on certain days and by prior booking. You will be impressed by its long history ‒ Wilfred the Hairy or Abbot Oliba walked its rooms ‒ and many legends. It is not surprising that since July 2010 the Festival of Catalan Legends (FESLLECAT) has been held here. But there's no need to wait until July; go at any time of the year as the castle will be waiting for you. We have decided to start our trip to Anoia here.

Yesterday we enjoyed panoramic views from quite a height but always with our feet firmly on the ground. This morning we encourage you to go even further up ‒ much further ‒ on an activity that perhaps you have not yet tried. We guarantee you an unforgettable experience!

Two companies, Globus Kon-Tiki and Camins del Vent, offer hot air balloon rides flying over the region of Anoia. What does this region have that others don't that makes it so attractive for a balloon ride? Probably the right weather conditions and landscape but also the poetic view of the mountain of Montserrat on the horizon and the colourful sights of Anoia from the air.

Once back on the ground, you will enjoy a good breakfast and receive a flight diploma to round off an exceptional morning.

The afternoon will be quieter. In today's world, as we have seen this morning, we can even fly but not so long ago transporting goods from one place to another was a much slower and laborious business. The muleteers made it possible to trade both products and information between country houses, villages and towns, and in Igualada there is a museum dedicated to them because of the important role they played in the region's commercial development.

The Museu del Traginer (Muleteer's Museum) explains this trade, everything surrounding it and its evolution based on the Antoni Ros collection. Notable among over two thousand exhibits displayed on three floors are the more than 40 carriages. In the museum ‒ especially adapted for the visually impaired ‒ we will also discover how the trade gradually vanished with the introduction of the new forms of energy, first steam and later petrol. In fact, the carriers of today are the muleteers who for many centuries had carted all the necessities of life back and forth.

We have begun the trip by visiting a castle and will also reserve the last day for discovering two other fortresses because Anoia boasts many of these buildings. Perhaps the most emblematic is Claramunt, which we will visit this morning. Built in the 10th century, the interventions and reforms in the 1990s made it the ideal place to discover what these medieval constructions were like. The panoramic views from here are also worth seeing and so the hike to reach the summit, around half an hour but quite easy, is highly recommended. The castle dominates the point where the defile of the Anoia River opens up in the Òdena basin and it was built because of the struggle for control of these lands between the Catalan counts and the Al-Andalus troops. As we can still see thousands of years later, it was a majestic castle, with terraced walls and defence towers, as well as a church, Santa Maria, with Romanesque features.

And from La Pobla de Claramunt we move to Sant Pere Sallavinera, where we find Boixadors Castle. The building is first documented in 1015, so it has recently celebrated one thousand years, and from the 15th to the 19th centuries it formed part of the barony of the Boixadors, under the rule of a single family. Again, the views over the Calaf plateau surrounded by mountain ranges, valleys and brooks are amazing. Enjoy one of the cradles of Anoia to complete this trip through a region brimming with attractions.