Peralada

Population: 1,500

Built on a small hill in the centre of the Alt Empordà comarca, Peralada is a delight. It’s narrow streets, it’s lovely museums, the cloister of Sant Domènec and the parks and gardens of its curious casino-castle all add up to make Peralada the ideal place to spend a summer afternoon or early evening, and if you’re feeling peckish, make sure to stop off for some seafood served at the popular restaurant-terraces on the edge of the old town. Particularly in summer, this is one of the places to see the local Catalan bourgeoisie at their best. Beware the noise, though; the clinking of plates, the snapping of lobster claws and the sometimes ostentatious rattling of jewellery are all signs that, although the prices are reasonable, you’re definitely dining with the best.

Founded in 500BC by the Iberian Indiketes tribe, Peralada really came into its own during the period of Carolingian domination in the 8th and 9th centuries at which point it became one of the capitals of Medieval Catalonia. The truth is that the town still seems trapped in a bygone age, and little appears to have happened there since its time of glory. It was sacked on a number of occasions and its trials and tribulations are faithfully recounted in its small museum dedicated to Peralada’s most illustrious son, Ramon Muntaner. Muntaner left his home town after a period of violence in the early 14th century and joined a group of Catalan mercenaries called the Almogàvers. In the name of the Crown of Aragon, the Almogàvers conquered southern Greece and made inroads into Asia Minor and the Balkans. Catalonia’s amazing conquest of the Eastern Mediterranean was chronicled by Muntaner and early copies of his seminal work are conserved in the town’s museum.

If you’re a gourmand, the best time to visit this lovely little town is in summer, but for culture vultures it’s charming all year round. The area’s festes are suitably off season in November for the Festa Major de Sant Martí and in December for the Festa Major de Vilanova de la Muga. Both are relatively low-key and, whilst all the general festivities prevail, give a less bombastic view of Catalonia at play.

Ajuntament de Peralada, Plaça Gran, 7 Tel. 972 53 80 06