Manresa

In Manresa visit the elaborate 14th-century collegiate Church of Santa María de la Seo on a rocky cliff above the town. Follow the signs for Solsona and, as you leave town, do not fail to look back to catch a spectacular view of Montserrat in the distance. Follow the Rio Cardoner through red, pine-covered ridges, punctuated with little farming towns, to Cardona, beautifully situated and crowned by an outstanding fortress/castle, which just happens to be the Parador de Cardona. This magnificent parador retains much of its 10th- and 11th-century construction, and the purely Romanesque Collegiate Church of Saint Vincent is in the center. Cardona’s earliest significance was as a source of salt for the Romans. The conical mountain of salt to the south of town has been mined for centuries. The town itself is very quiet unless you happen to be there on Sunday, market day, when things are considerably busier. If you time your visit for the first half of September, you can experience the annual festival with a “running of the bulls,” similar to that of Pamplona.A lovely side trip is to the ancient brown-and-red village of Solsona, about 15 minutes away, which is entered through a stone gate in the old town wall. It has a salt and craft museum, and a quaint old quarter for wandering. The parador in Cardona is wonderful, but Solsona is a more interesting town.