el Masroig: what to see, where to eat and wineries

El Masroig is a village in the south-west Priorat, by the Siurana river, within DO Montsant and in a gentler landscape than the rest of the comarca. It has around 475 inhabitants and sits at 192 m elevation. Its municipal area holds the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Pinyeres, a restored Romanesque chapel on a hill with panoramic views, the protohistoric settlement of Puig Roig del Roget — dated to the 9th-7th centuries BC, with an almost complete ground plan and considered one of the best-preserved sites of its period in Catalonia — and the historic Molí de l'Antònia. The parish church, begun in 1829, keeps a distinctive old-tile floor laid out in the shape of a cross.

Its centenary cooperative winery is the village's economic heart, together with the Coca i Fitó winery; both can be visited. Besides DO Montsant wine, the area produces olive oil, almonds and olives, both table olives and olive paste. The village celebrates the feast of Sant Sebastià (20 January), the Mare de Déu de les Pinyeres pilgrimage (the Saturday after Easter) and the Sant Bartomeu festival (24 August), with a correfoc fire-run. Several signposted routes, such as the Camí de les Barraques del Camí Ral, link it on foot or by bike to Falset and neighbouring villages.

Sources: ca.wikipedia.org · turismepriorat.org

Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0