While heading back to Valencia following our short visit to Lleida, we had enough time for one last little excursion. An hour to the east lays the small, medieval town of Guimerà, and although it wasn’t exactly “on the way”, we were more more than happy to take a detour to visit this fascinating town.
We arrived in Guimerà around noon, and the winter sun was so bright that we decided a good first activity would be grabbing a beer by the banks of the Corb river. It was the perfect place to watch village life pass by, and get a sense for how active the town’s 250 inhabitants are. And it let us gather some strength, before scaling the steep streets of the Guimerà, which spread sideways along the hill.
Guimerà is a medieval town through-and-through, magnificently preserved through the centuries, and it really does feel like you’ve been transported into the Middle Ages while exploring its streets. Cars would have extreme difficulty navigating the narrow alleys, stairs, and even tunnels within the town, and maybe that’s why time seems to have stopped here. Guimerà simply isn’t capable of accommodating any transportation technology more recent than donkey.
The first time Guimerà was mentioned in historical records was 1030, though it’s likely older. The town’s distinctive tower has recently been restored, with the installation of stairs on the outside. You can climb those about halfway up, before entering the tower itself, and continuing upwards along a narrow, very cool spiral staircase. When you reach the top, you’re rewarded with an amazing view over the valley.
After enjoying the scene from the top of the tower, we descended back into Guimerà with a zig-zagging route. Looked at from afar, the town’s layout reminded us of hiking trails that go up particularly steep inlines. The roads go straight and relatively level, and then turn, ascend, and go relatively level back the other way. All the way up to the top.
We hadn’t known anything about Guimerà before arriving, but it was a really cool surprise. Despite our having lived in the neighboring Valencian Community for so many years, we’ve paid scant attention to Catalonia, but our trip to Lleida and Guimerà have opened our eyes to this region’s diversity. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that we’ll be back!
From our Travel Blog.
