In the heart of the Empordà and a few kilometers from the best coves and beaches of the Costa Brava, the town of Peratallada is located in the province of Girona, halfway from Barcelona and also from the French border.
The ease of access, the good climate, the singularity of the popular events, the richness of the historical and cultural heritage and the wide range of activities that the area offers, make the town of Peratallada an ideal place to spend a good vacation, since Whether as a couple, with friends, with family or individually. Apart from its architectural and historical attractions, the city is recognized for its important crafts and, above all, gastronomic offer. The alleys of the nucleus are full of numerous and suggestive restaurants of all kinds, which offer the ideal complement to a visit to the town.
Historic-artistic complex and cultural asset of national interest (BCIN)
The town, declared a Historic-Artistic Site and Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN), is one of the most important centers in Catalonia in terms of medieval architecture. Extraordinarily attractive and beautiful, it retains its old feudal appearance, with narrow and winding streets, with numerous inlets and outlets. The tour of the town allows you to discover different points of view of the castle-palace and the walls and a group of popular architecture. The population is settled all of it, on the stoneware rock, worked in various ways. There is no doubt that the most impressive are the walls and the rock-cut moat.
Thus, the meaning of the name of Peratallada is evident for those who visit the town. Peratallada was one of the most well fortified Catalan towns. The defensive system was formed by three wall enclosures (the main one with the castle in the center and another two that were in the north and east) protected by the moat excavated in the rock. The visible part of it has a depth of about 7 or 8 meters. The fortified castle stands out with its keep and the palace (11th-14th centuries), the walls (12th-13th centuries) and the church of Sant Esteve (Romanesque from the early 13th century). A curious fact that must be highlighted is that Berenguer de Cruïlles (1310 – 1362), Bishop of Girona and first president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, was a native of this town.
The castle of Peratallada, around which the town was sheltered, was the center of the barony that belonged to the said lineage of the Peratallada family, documented since the 11th century. The castle is proven to have existed in 1065, but some architectural structures seem to show that there was already an older fortress in this nucleus.
The rocky mound rises 4 or 5 meters above the surrounding terrain. Above, the great castle rises, with its characteristic keep, and the magnificent palace, oriented to the east, which overlooks the Plaza del Castillo. You can also see remains of battlements (space to defend yourself between the solid stone) that give a great attraction and mysticism to the construction. The tall Tower of Homage, the hallmark of the town, has a rectangular floor plan, crowned by square battlements. It has a flat door and had an intermediate wooden floor. It was built with rows of squared ashlars.
