Vilanova d'Escornalbou

A Hidden Gem That's Stolen My Heart

After twenty-five years of wandering through Spanish villages, I thought I'd seen them all. Then a friend dragged me up a winding mountain road to Vilanova d'Escornalbou, and I discovered that Catalonia was still keeping secrets from me. This tiny village of barely 600 souls, perched at 741 feet in the hills behind Tarragona, is what happens when time slows down and forgets to catch up again.

I've been back four times now, each visit revealing something new about this extraordinary place where red stone houses seem to grow from the earth itself, and the silence is so profound you can actually hear your thoughts settling.

Village Life at Nature's Pace

Vilanova d'Escornalbou isn't just remote – it's properly remote in the most wonderful way. This is a place where the baker might not turn up if it's too foggy, where the local bar closes whenever the owner fancies a walk, and where the postman knows everyone's business because he stops for coffee at every house.

The village revolves around its stunning red stone architecture, carved from the local sandstone that gives these buildings their warm, almost glowing appearance. Walking these narrow streets feels like stepping into a medieval painting, except the WiFi works and the plumbing is excellent. The locals – a mix of farming families who've been here for generations and refugees from Barcelona seeking the quiet life – have that particular Catalan combination of fierce independence and warm hospitality once you've proven you're not just passing through.

Don't expect bustling markets or crowded plazas. This is a place where excitement means spotting a golden eagle circling overhead, or discovering that the village's single shop has managed to stock proper English tea. The rhythm here follows the seasons and the sun, not smartphones and schedules.

What Makes This Place Special

The heart of the village is the Church of San Juan, a modest but beautiful stone building that's been watching over these hills for centuries. But honestly, the real attraction is simply being here – breathing air so clean it makes your lungs sing, and experiencing that increasingly rare thing: genuine tranquillity.

The surrounding forests are a hiker's paradise, with marked trails leading through pine and oak woods to viewpoints that'll have you reaching for your camera every five minutes. The path to l'Arbocet is particularly magical – about three miles of gentle climbing through woodland that feels utterly untouched by modern life. I've done this walk in spring (wildflowers everywhere) and autumn (the colours are simply staggering), and both seasons have their own particular magic.

For cycling enthusiasts, the mountain biking routes here are legendary among locals but completely unknown to tourists. The terrain is challenging enough to get your heart pumping but not so technical that you'll need to be rescued by helicopter. Just remember to check conditions beforehand – these paths can become treacherous after rain.

Where the Locals Actually Eat

This is where I need to manage your expectations, darling. Vilanova d'Escornalbou isn't going to offer you a choice of twenty restaurants. In fact, you'll be lucky to find more than a couple of places open on any given day, and that's part of its charm.

The local bar – and there's really only one that matters – serves traditional Catalan fare with the kind of authenticity you simply can't fake. If you're here during calçot season (roughly February to April), you're in for a treat. These sweet spring onions, grilled over open flames and served with romesco sauce, are a Catalan obsession, and having them in a tiny mountain village with locals who've been preparing them the same way for decades is something approaching a religious experience.

The rest of the year, expect hearty mountain food: robust stews, grilled meats, and vegetables that actually taste like they've been grown in soil rather than laboratories. The wine list runs heavily to local varieties that you've probably never heard of but will remember for years.

My advice? Bring a picnic for lunch and plan on one proper meal out. The village shop stocks basics, but for anything more ambitious, you'll want to stop in Reus on your way up.

Getting There and Making It Work

Right, let's talk logistics, because this is where Vilanova d'Escornalbou separates the committed from the casual. You absolutely, definitely, completely need a car. I cannot stress this enough. Public transport to villages like this is somewhere between hopeless and nonexistent, and even if it existed, you'd spend more time waiting for buses than actually enjoying the place.

The drive from the coast takes about an hour, winding up through increasingly beautiful countryside. Rent something small and nimble – these mountain roads weren't designed for people carriers, and parking in the village is limited to a few spots that require some creative manoeuvring.

Best time to visit? Spring and autumn, without question. Summer can be scorching, and while winter has its own stark beauty, many local services shut down completely. April to June and September to November offer perfect hiking weather and the chance to see the landscape in its full glory.

Where to stay? This is trickier. The village itself has limited accommodation options, which is probably for the best – it helps maintain that sense of authentic quiet. I'd recommend looking for rural houses in the area that offer that proper "sleeping under Catalonia's brightest stars" experience the locals rave about. Book well ahead, especially for autumn visits when the hiking is at its best.

Essential preparations: Check hiking routes and mountain biking trails before you arrive, especially if you're planning anything ambitious. Weather can change quickly in these hills, and while the locals are wonderfully helpful, you don't want to be that tourist who needs rescuing because you didn't check the forecast.

This isn't a village you visit on a whim or squeeze into a packed itinerary. It's a place that demands time and rewards patience. But if you're looking for that increasingly rare thing – a corner of Spain that tourism hasn't quite discovered yet – Vilanova d'Escornalbou might just be exactly what you didn't know you were looking for.

Trust me on this one. Sometimes the best journeys are the ones that take you off the beaten path entirely.