Peratallada, Baix Empordà, Catalunya

Peratallada, #20, Catalunya, 2018

The comarca (county) of Baix Empordà, near Gerona, is chock full of quaint, romantic, highly photogenic villages that date back to medieval times…Pals, Palau-Sator, Ullastret, Begur, Peralada, to name just a few.

Peratallada (“carved stone”) is one prime example you should probably visit if you are in the area. I found myself thinking, though, that the village was almost too perfect–near Disneyland-perfect, unfortunately–with its beautifully restored stone walls and houses, the defense towers, the wagon wheel-rutted stone street, the restored 11th century castle (currently privately owned), the quarry-moat (dry now, but deep), and the funky-and-only-slightly-touristy shops. But, despite its almost excessive perfection (I like old stuff to be more crumbly!), I’d say it is very much worth seeing.

Here are some of my images from the day, worked in Silver Efex Pro and, among other touches, treated with a Kodak Tri-X 400 film effect, which seemed appropriate for the ancient subject matter…

The 13th century Romanesque church just across the road from town:

Peratallada, #16, Catalunya, 2018

A view of a part of an exterior wall with one of the entrances to the town. The sign above the archway says “Provincia de Gerona, Villa de Paratallada, Partido de la Bisbal”:

Peratallada, #17, Catalunya, 2018

One particular street will present you with impressively-deep ruts in the soft stone caused by the passage of countless wagons over the centuries:

Peratallada, #18, Catalunya, 2018

Still life at an old barn–dried corn and an ox yoke:

Peratallada, #19, Catalunya, 2018

Fertile green vegetation covers many walls and (almost!) doors:

Peratallada, #6, Catalunya, 2018

An odd sight…see if you can find it during your visit! They are stuffed and mounted, so they aren’t going anywhere soon:

Peratallada, #9, Catalunya, 2018

Can someone help decipher this? About as far as I get is “Antoni Senna” and “1741”. You’ll find such dates above doorways and in other places if you keep an eyeball out. The year 1741, if you think about it was well before our War for Independence…and Ben Franklin was a relatively young and vital (horny?) 35-year-old man with lots of creative ideas bulging in his continental brain:

Peratallada, #13, Catalunya, 2018

At the village center you’ll find these archways which, in the days of yore, were used to shield folks from inclement weather on market days. On this day, it shielded us from the blazing sun:

Peratallada, #12, Catalunya, 2018

A classic villa somewhere in the town:

Peratallada, #11, Catalunya, 2018

An ancient 15th century arch overgrown with vines:

Peratallada, #15, Catalunya, 2018

The “estelada” is proudly displayed all over rural Catalunya–the one-star flag of Catalunya independence. Note the “llaç groc”, or yellow ribbon, which symbolizes the desire that the Spanish government release the Catalan politicians they are currently holding in prison–and allow those in exile to return. The big city of Barcelona is much more cosmopolitan, though, with immigrants from all over Spain and the world, so the population there is much more evenly divided over this pesky question of separating from Spain:

Peratallada, #21, Catalunya, 2018

Finally, a tasty morsel for you real estate hounds. Right across the street from the town of Peratallada and a stone’s throw from the church, is a 15th century farmhouse (“masía”) just waiting for someone with mounds of excess cash and copious bolts of energy. It would be quite the lengthy renovation project, for sure.

Here are some details on the property…

–Offered by Masies Empordà (masiesemporda.com, Reference #1036) for a mere 590,000 Euros, which is just under $700,000.

–Yes, I said 15th century–that’s dating back to when Columbus was alive, Italy still had no tomato sauce, and the Americas were still free of smallpox.

–It sits on about 2.59 acres, with another half acre possibly available.

–The building is two levels and contains about 5,920 square feet.

–There would almost certainly be lots of structure stabilization required–walls, roof. Then a complete rebuild of plumbing, wiring, interior walls, floor, and so on.

But imagine 21st century technology and comfort inside a 15th century historic icon!

Ah, if I were young and rich…

Masia En Venda, Peratallada, Catalunya, 2018