Three not very extensive regions, Garraf and Alt and Baix Penedès, together add up to about 1,000 km2. But they offer an immersive experience in the idiosyncrasy of Mediterranean Catalonia: sea, vineyards, cliffs, castellers and ports. These are just some of the features that define them and that have made them a pole of attraction.
Being a rather small territory has never been an obstacle to being a very balanced sum of landscape, tradition, culture, beaches, gastronomy, wine tourism… Quite the contrary, in Penedès-Garraf everything is at hand. The territory brings together a wide range of top-quality services that have defined it in its long history as a point of interest for visitors, since a good part of the Indians chose its coast to build residences where they could display their wealth.
The Penedès, and its wine tradition, has not been immune to its positioning as a privileged enclave thanks to the small fortunes that have arisen around the vines. To visit it is to enter, from Garraf to El Vendrell, following the maritime façade, and from Sant Pere de Ribes to Mediona, from the sea towards the interior, into a wild territory in some sectors, seafaring in others and still necessarily agricultural in the interior, where the landscape is a series of wine farms in a region that has managed to place its wines among the most outstanding in the world.
This geographical area is made up of thirty-three municipalities, still in the province of Barcelona but with one foot in Tarragona, and has become a highly appreciated destination for visitors, who find everything they are looking for and more, just a step away from the Catalan capital and its main entry routes, port and airport. With the arrival of good weather, the proposals multiply. Without going any further, in Vilanova i la Geltrú, the town with a fishing tradition that already hosted the first preliminary regatta of the Copa América in September, La Daurada is warming up its summer engines. From May 3 to 5, the space will host Beer Live, a Mediterranean beer festival that will combine beer tastings, gastronomic offerings and free performances by renowned musicians in a privileged space, on a terrace overlooking the sea. For those who prefer a quieter proposal, in contact with nature, the options are very diverse to immerse themselves in this corner of the Mediterranean coast. For example, touring the peaks of Garraf, from Canyelles to Puig de l’Àliga. Or walk along the banks of the Foix; go from Olivella to its Castell Vell; or get lost along the paths between vineyards near Sant Pere de Ribes. They are easy proposals, suitable for everyone, on foot or by bicycle and accessible by public transport.
Among all the proposals, wine tourism stands out. In fact, more and more wineries under the Penedès DO offer guided tours of their crops, in terroirs bathed in the Mediterranean sun, and that include wine tastings and gastronomic delicacies. A fantastic way to savor a great little territory in all its splendor.
