THE TOURISM OF VILAFRANCA DEL PENEDÈS

Geographic situation, territory and weather

Territory

The territory l’Alt Penedès has 1963km2. It is in the middle of the central depression. L’Alt Penedès has an irregular shape.

The weather

Vilafranca has a mild climate, it is a mixture of continental climate. You can feel from the cold of the winter, and the hot of the summer.

The average temperature is more than 14ºC in January ,7ºC and in July it has 23ºC. Rainfall is fairly well distributed through the year except in January and July. Because these two months are dry, which is normal in the Mediterranean weather.

Geographic situation

Spain map:

Catalonia map

Vilafranca del Penedès map

Historical Context

Origins and mediaeval period

Vilafranca was born at the beginning of XIIth century, when Ramon Berenguer the IIIrd, granted a Frankest letter that gave fiscal privileges to the inhabitants of Olerdola. This letter was given to those who repopulate the valley to found a town to protect the crown.

In XIIIth century Vilafranca had a big economic and social development, it became one of the most important towns of Catalonia.

The Vilafranca of today

In XIXth century wars began. The Francès was in 1808-1814 and Carlines war in 1822-1876 made that Vilafranca reinforced the walls. The telegraph arrived in 1853, the train 1865 the installations of the gas factory and the arrival of water in 1866 modernized definitely Vilafranca.

The first third of the XXth century the Civil war was caused by political reasons. Between 1960 and 1980 the population duplicated.

Heritage

The square of Jaume I was an important part. Of the town in the Middle Ages. Santa Maria Church was built between 1285 and 1485, It is the first example Catalan meridional gothic of parroquial Church, developed from the French gothic.

Calendar

St. Raimon Festivity: from 7th to 23rd of January. Xató Festivity: third Sunday of January. Carnival Rua: Carnival’s Monday. Graller’s Day. Fair of May or lovers. “Festa Major”: 29th August till 2nd September. Fair of turkey: the week before Christmas Day.

MAIN HUMAN TOWERS DAY

St. Felix 30th August. All Saints festivity: 1st November. Roser Festivity: November.

Market on Saturday

Vilafranca has three municipal markets where they sell fresh, and quality products. Every Saturday the atmosphere of the historical centre is a only street where many stalls are put. On Tuesday a market is held in Sant Salvador square and another one in the Espirall.

Sant Joan Chapel

It was built at the beginning of XIVth century. The principal façade has a door. It consists of “arquivoltes” with columns and “capitells”, a gothic “roseto” and a bell. Inside it is rectangular and there is a presentation and exhibitions of different items and you can visit it free.

The Town hall

It’s built in a Catalan civil gothic structure, with a central courtyard, stairs and the attic. Altogether there are two floors and an attic. In the façade there are stone paraments a “geminada” windows , a gargoyles and a big clock. On the ground you can see stone voults that form arcades and five “sitges” from XIVth century.

Basilica of Santa Maria

The basilica of saint Maria is a Gothic building built on an antique Romanesque chapel in a preferential place of the town. It is surrounded of squares and alleys in where the first group of inhabitants of the city must be concentrated.

· It is the first parochial building of Catalonia built following to the canons of the architectural gothic order.

Belfry of Santa Maria

The belfry is a structure placed on the outer part of the church of Saint Maria in the middle of the town. It’s almost of 52 m. High, octagonal and it has two parts.

. The bells started to ring at the beginning of the 14th century and since that the moment, their role as the media of religious events and also civilian. The silhouette of the belfry has become a symbol of the town.

Gomà home

The Gomà home was the parental house of Torras i Bages bishop, It was built in the antique stone walls of the town.

On the top of this building there is a gallery and inside it there are gothic arches.

House of the Local Festivity

. The House of the Local Festivity is at present a singular space that accommodates a permanent exhibition of the traditional elements of the festivity. The exhibition allows knowing all the figures, the music and the dances of the festivity.. It is a public building that was built as a market of hens and offal and later it was used as a fish market.

Gastronomy of “Vilafranca del Penedès”

The gastronomic offer in Vilafranca del Penedès is very varied and it is based in the products of the area.

The vegetables the meat of fowl, the black cockerel of Penedès and the mute duck, are of good quality.

The fowl gastronomy is celebrated during the turkey fair.

Excellent hand made meat, tasty salads made with `` Xató de Vilafranca ´´, rabbit and veal with mushrooms and the possibility of tasting fish recipes of the neighbouring coast of Garraf. `` Coques de Vilafranca ´´ and the delicious handmade nougat candy.

Wine culture

Wine Culture

The recent study of an archaeological site dated around VIIth century BC has demonstrated that it is in Penedès where the oldest evidence of wine-growing and wine production was. Phoenicians, Iberians, Greeks and Romans were the responsible for the definitive introduction of wine in our land. The Romans in Catalonia. The growth of production and the prestige of the white wines and the red ones.

Wine Culture

• In the IXth, Xth and XIth centuries, as the Christians land in Catalonia caught the establishment of the vineyard expanded and in the following three centuries, the growth was spectacular. The cellars of monasteries headed enological science that made possible different wines and more well-developed which replaced the primitive wines.

Wine Culture

• The century sixtieth and seventieth a stablemen and the new concept of the great wines a the ageing in quality. In the world are concepts. In a moment Vilafranca a reply the demand scope international a product characteristic derivative the wine: liquor. The first big manufactures the Vilafranca date the 1692.

Wine Culture

• In 1943 the first official fair and exhibition of vineyards and wine were organized in 1960 and the Board of the Designation of Origin. The wine-growing had an important role in it.

Wine Culture

• A serie of enterprises began to elaborate and bottle their wines and they began to sell them. At the end of the XX th century, the vineyards and the process of elaboration acquired technological advances. Nowadays the wine sector of Penedès is highly qualified and the product is exported all over the world.

By: Javi Castaño, Jallal Benaija, Miriam Ojeda, Tania Rivas, Tania Gil, David Begara, Josep Lluís Ros, Eva Carbó, Fabiola , Walid, Fran Perea, Gerard Grau, Adrià Román, Montse Rosselló, Aroa Murciano, Teresa Alsina, Carme Salvadò.