Falset: what to see, where to eat and wineries

Falset is the capital of the Priorat comarca, and its old town is a compact medieval nucleus, historically known as the Malanyet, stretching between the church and the castle in a series of parallel streets linking the upper and lower parts of town around Plaça d'Àngel Marquès, the historic center before the arcaded Plaça de la Quartera — named after the grain measure still standing there — became the modern civic hub. The comarcal council has installed tourist waymarking guiding visitors from the main entry points to the tourist office and the castle, and the area is best enjoyed as a short walk linking the arcaded square, the parish church and the lanes rising to the castle hill.

The castle, built in the second half of the 12th century following the 1168 donation by Albert de Castellvell to Pere de Déu, served as the seat of the County of Prades and was the birthplace of two queens: Eleanor of Cyprus and Jerusalem, and Margaret of Prades, the last Catalan queen and wife of Martin the Humane. In September 1714 it saw the Bourbon troops' last defeat before the fall of Barcelona, when local militias stormed it after three days of fighting.

The Gothic-plan Santa Maria church, with later Baroque and Neoclassical additions, was not consecrated until 1770 and serves as the seat of the Priorat archpriesthood. Of the five gates that once closed off the medieval quarter, only one survives, the Bou gate.

Sources: turismefalset.cat · falset.org · ca.wikipedia.org

Photo: Xavigivax · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons