Garriguella: Wine, History and Nature

In the Mare de Déu del Camp area stands the Santuari de la Mare de Déu del Camp, a 17th-century hermitage dedicated to religious worship.

Culture

The Església de Santa Eulàlia de Noves was built under the direction of master builder Pere Santariol between 1722 and 1785; its bell tower was subsequently built in 1883. In the eastern part, the church preserves the remains of an earlier Romanesque temple, popularly dated to the first decades of the 11th century. The church therefore reveals the construction phase, the later bell tower, and older traces within the same building. The Molí de Vent is a preserved windmill from the 16th or 17th century with a well-preserved cylindrical tower, and is one of the few surviving structures of its kind in the Empordà. Of the former Capella de St. Sebastià from the 16th century, only a partially reconstructed side arch remains today. “Pedra dels búnquers” is a concrete element that reconstructs the topography of Garriguella and illustrates the strategy that led to the construction of 380 bunkers. Airfield 314 was opened at the end of 1937 in the southern part of the municipality of Garriguella.

Nature

The Mirador de la Costa de la Torre is a viewpoint overlooking the plain of Garriguella. Mas Llunes offers the “Vi-o-Diversitat”, a hiking route through the ecological vineyards in the Serra de l’Albera natural area. The route is linked to a project to restore biodiversity and raise environmental awareness at the winery. The Centro de Reproducción de Tortugas de la Albera offers a video and explanations about the biology, habitat, and conservation of the Mediterranean tortoise in the Albera. The explanations also place the tortoise in both a biological and spatial context, as they address both its biology and its habitat in the Albera. The facility is dedicated to the captive breeding of the Mediterranean tortoise; the last population of this species on the Iberian Peninsula is located in the Albera.

Experiences

Agrícola de Garriguella i Rabós SCCL offers wine tourism, as well as tours of the winemaking facilities, cellars, and vineyards. Tastings and meals featuring regional products are also part of the offer there, accompanied by olive oil and wines with the Empordà designation of origin. The tours combine the winemaking facilities, cellars, and vineyards within the same wine tourism offering. The Fira de la Garnatxa i el Brunyol de l’Empordà, held annually in Garriguella, highlights Garnatxa and the traditional Brunyol de l’Empordà; it also includes wine-tasting competitions, cooking workshops, and markets featuring local craftspeople. The Fira thus brings together products, tasting, cuisine, and local crafts in an annual recurring event.

Further Places

Discover more places here: Aiguaviva, Vilafant, Can Jordi, Susqueda, Quart, Pals, Campelles, Argelaguer.

To the higher-level travel overview: Girona.