Porrera: what to see, where to eat and wineries

Porrera is one of the most respected villages of DOQ Priorat, with around 400 inhabitants and slate terraces that have yielded highly regarded reds for centuries. The 19th-century wine boom —with close to 1,900 residents in 1887— funded stone houses with carved portals before phylloxera destroyed the vineyards around 1880; the Cooperativa Agrícola was founded in 1932 to rebuild the sector. The village is famous for its sundial route —some fourteen painted sundials, mostly from the 19th century, including the standout 'afternoon clock' on Carrer Pau Casals— and for its two bridges over the seasonal stream; its hills preserve extensive dry-stone heritage (huts, corrals and walls) recognised by UNESCO. Its neoclassical parish church, Sant Joan Evangelista, was built between 1763 and 1771, and the 1610 hermitage of Sant Antoni Abat crowns a nearby hill.

The village still keeps the house-museum Ca l'Amorós, with its 19th-century interior, furniture and household linen intact, and a centuries-old oak grows near Mas d'en Gregori. Porrera is also the ancestral home of singer-songwriter Lluís Llach, who dedicated his 1994 album 'Món Porrera' to it, with lyrics by poet Miquel Martí i Pol. The municipality is home to several noted wineries, including Celler l'Encastell, Sangenís i Vaqué, Marco Abella, Celler Castellet, Merum Priorati, Celler Vall Llach and Celler Balmaprat.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ca.wikipedia.org · turismepriorat.org

Photo: porrera.org · licence not stated