Getaway to Osona: Immersed in nature

What better in the midst of autumn than to visit a centre dedicated to the world of chestnuts? The company Castanya de Viladrau, based in the Montseny Natural Park, was created with the objective of exploiting the chestnut trees in the area and offering a product rooted in the land for centuries. You can visit its premises, where you will see how the nut is selected and also some of the products made from it, such as chestnut wheat, chestnut honey, chestnut bread and even chestnut beer.

Moreover, this company can advise you on some of the surrounding paths. If you are not familiar with them, we warmly recommend the route leading to the Nine-arm Chestnut Tree, venerated in the area. To get there you'll walk through beautiful spots and past some large country houses boasting a long history.

The monastery of Sant Pere de Casserres, a building that should be included in the Catalan Romanesque art chapter of any architecture book, is also impressive because of its location, overlooking a meander of the Ter River. So on our first morning in Osona we'll head there. Inside and out, it is a humble monastery but full of charming details, such as the small cloister, the parlour that later became a cellar and the anthropomorphic tombs, which show that the monastery was built on a necropolis and that this exceptional viewpoint has been visited by people for centuries. Furniture and old household goods in the different rooms tell us more about the place and brighten up the visit.

After lunch we suggest that you make the most of the many activities on offer in the Sau Valley and Collsacabra. A landscape formed by brooks, cliffs, grottoes, waterfalls or the Sau reservoir itself allows you to put into practice your climbing and horse-riding skills, take a daring flight on an ultra-light aircraft, or go canoeing or water skiing. Many companies that organise these types of activities are based amidst these 8,000 hectares of nature and will supply you will all the equipment necessary to have a good time in complete safety.

On the final day we'll go to north of Osona, bordering the region of Ripollès. The towns and villages of Montesquiu, Sant Quirze de Besora, Santa Maria de Besora, Sora and Vidrà make up the area known as El Bisaura, a beautiful landscape, with forests of pine, beech and oak trees. We recommend an unhurried visit to these towns and villages that date back over a thousand years.

However, if there is one emblematic building in this area that you must see it is undoubtedly Montesquiu Castle, built in 1285 and located at the top of the Park of the same name. As you can imagine, since the 13th century the castle has experienced many changes through times of splendour and suffering but a visit is highly recommended. On the ground floor, there is an audiovisual presentation featuring the four ghosts of the most important characters that have lived in the castle who will tell you its story. You can visit the rooms but the upper floor houses the Barcelona Provincial Council Resources Centre. After leaving the castle ‒ or before going in, if you prefer ‒ you can explore the delightful path through the shady areas around it, a signposted route of around two and a half kilometres that will bring your time in Osona to a very pleasant end.