Morning day 1: A visit to the Vila Closa
The Vila Closa is the town’s walled medieval historical centre, though most of the houses you'll find here date from the 18th century. It was declared a historical-artistic ensemble of national cultural interest by the Generalitat government in 1998.
The Plaça del Pou is one of the iconic sites in the Vila Closa. Dominated by the porticoed town hall building, it dates from the early 19th century and is surrounded by a number of noble mansion houses that make up a harmonic and balanced ensemble. Opposite the town hall is the monument to the 'castellers' (human towers) which was sculpted by the local artist Martí Royo. The ensemble made up of the castle, the Church of Sant Martí and the rectory ennobles one of the squares with the best acoustics in Catalonia, which has played host to the many music and poetry performances held on summer nights, such as the town’s Voices Festival and Concert Cycle.
The town’s barns and threshing houses and its dry-stone huts were built for agricultural and fish-farming purposes. Many of these buildings are expressions of the heritage of an agricultural past that has now largely disappeared. Nowadays, most of them have been converted into municipal buildings or are the headquarters of the town’s cultural, social and sporting associations, such as the Mostra d’Altafulla and the Era del Senyor, which offer insights into the town’s rural past.
The Plaça del Pou is one of the iconic sites in the Vila Closa. Dominated by the porticoed town hall building, it dates from the early 19th century and is surrounded by a number of noble mansion houses that make up a harmonic and balanced ensemble. Opposite the town hall is the monument to the 'castellers' (human towers) which was sculpted by the local artist Martí Royo. The ensemble made up of the castle, the Church of Sant Martí and the rectory ennobles one of the squares with the best acoustics in Catalonia, which has played host to the many music and poetry performances held on summer nights, such as the town’s Voices Festival and Concert Cycle.
The town’s barns and threshing houses and its dry-stone huts were built for agricultural and fish-farming purposes. Many of these buildings are expressions of the heritage of an agricultural past that has now largely disappeared. Nowadays, most of them have been converted into municipal buildings or are the headquarters of the town’s cultural, social and sporting associations, such as the Mostra d’Altafulla and the Era del Senyor, which offer insights into the town’s rural past.
