While last month we recommended 5 mountain bike routes for discovering the Penedès, today we’d like to share with you 5 amazing viewpoints for enjoying a landscape we love: The land where our wines are born.
This is an activity you can do all year round. It’s a journey through the quintessential wine landscape, through the geography, nature, and culture of the Penedès, on a route that can be done by car. It covers five viewpoints: La Cadira, La Bardera, El Circell de les Gunyoles, Sant Pau, and Balcó del Penedès. It’s called Miravinya and can be used to dive a little deeper into a large part of the Alt Penedès geography.
La Cadira, Torrelavit
We start with La Cadira, located in Torrelavit, in a town very close to our winery. It offers an amazing 360-degree panoramic view of the entire area. You’ll recognize it because its name – “The Chair” in English – describes just what it is: a giant chair for having a seat and taking a break to enjoy the moment along the way.
La Bardera, Subirats
We move on from La Cadira to head to La Bardera. To get here, you’ll leave behind the paper mills along the Bitlles River and the Chapel of Sant Benet d’Espiells, two of the most prominent elements of the local heritage. When you get to the viewpoint, to one side you’ll have the historical 14th-century farmstead of the same name, one of the oldest in the municipality of Subirats. If you look upward, you’ll be able to enjoy views where the vines are the main attraction.
El Circell de les Gunyoles, Avinyonet
After traveling a few miles, you’ll reach the El Circell viewpoint, which stands over Les Gunyoles, a town in the municipality of Avinyonet del Penedès. In this area, the vines share the limelight with the peach trees of El Ordal. A true gem and a real treat for your taste buds. If you haven’t tried them, we recommend it.
Sant Pau, Vilafranca del Penedès
The fourth viewpoint is found in Vilafranca del Penedès, where you can enjoy a perfect view of the wine capital. From this viewpoint, you can’t miss Penyafort Castle in Santa Margarida i els Monjos, the village of Castellet i la Gornal, and a 12th-century church dedicated to St. Peter.
El Balcó del Penedès, Font-rubí
The Miravinya route ends at Balcó del Penedès, “the Balcony of the Penedès,” near the village of Font-rubí. The vine landscape stands out here, but with a special addition: the Mediterranean Sea. From here, we recommend visiting the Shrine of La Mare de Déu de Foix, in Torrelles, one of the oldest churches in Catalonia. If you’ve done one of the mountain bike routes we suggested, we’re sure you already know it!
In short, this is a route covering 5 wonderfully remarkable viewpoints that will give you a leisurely look at an area we sometimes don’t pay enough attention to.
