Talamanca

Talamanca is one of those villages best understood on foot. Its stone houses huddle together in the space between the castle and the church, and it was precisely from this union that the village centre visitors explore today was born. It lies within the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l'Obac Natural Park, in the Bages district, and although weekdays are peaceful, at weekends and during the holidays it fills with people drawn by its medieval character.

Its most outstanding feature is the Church of Santa Maria, a Romanesque building from the late 12th century that was remodelled in the 18th century to give it three naves, although it is already documented in 1038. Close by stands the castle, first mentioned in 967. For a good view of the whole village, it is worth climbing up to the Plaça de la Creu, the highest point in Talamanca, which takes its name from the cross planted in the middle of a path and serves as a natural viewpoint.

The history of the place goes back a long way: Iberian remains have been found here, and at the end of the 9th century, with the military resettlement driven by Count Borrell and Wilfred the Hairy, peasants arrived from the north and settled alongside castles and churches. The first written mention dates from 960, when Salla, founder of the Monastery of Sant Benet de Bages, donated land and houses within the castle's domain.

The surroundings are well worth some of your time. The fountain, built in 1683, is tucked away in a shady corner beside a centuries-old tree and supplied the whole village until running water arrived. Outside the village centre is the Chapel of Santa Magdalena, recorded since the late 13th century, and among the vineyards you will come across the seven tines, isolated wine presses built in the mid-19th century.

The finishing touch is the spot known as the three waterfalls, also called the eyes of the Llobregat, where the river forms a natural limestone dam and the water gushes from falls of around two metres.