The Olèrdola complex. A guide to 4,000 years of a Penedès wine country hilltop town

Olèrdola museum, built in refurbished old masia / rectory overlooking the Penedès wine region and Montserrat, Olèrdola monumental complex

Sitting proud on top of a limestone hill, overlooking the vineyards of the Penedès wine country, and the framed by the majestic Montserrat Mountain in the background, Olèrdola is a fascinating look into the history of wine and wine culture in the Barcelona and Catalonia area of Spain. The Olèrdola complex is located 45 minutes … Read more

Spain’s wine regions in numbers and maps

Priorat wine region vineyard near Cartoixa d'Escaladei. Private wine tour

In our guide to the wine regions of Spain, the Spanish wine regions are divided into the twelve traditional regions, and the first table shows the how much quality wine is produced for each region, in other words wines that can be sold under the DOP wine appellation. However, a little less than half of … Read more

Guide to the wine regions of Spain, part 2

Xarel·lo (Xarello / Xarel-lo) grape variety in late summer, with grapes ripening. Growing in the demonstration plot of Caves Llopart winery, Penedès, Barcelona, Spain

The wine regions of Spain Our guide to the wine regions of Spain began in Part 1 covering the wine regions of Alto Ebro including La Rioja, the Andalusian wine region, the Aragonese wine region, the Balearics wine region, the Canarian wine region, and the Cantabrian wine region. Here in Part 2 we will cover: … Read more

Classification order of Spanish Wine appellations – What do DOP, DOCa, DOQ, VP, VC, IGP Mean?

Classification Spanish Wine appellations

The denominación de origen system in Spain is used to regulate the quality and geographical origin of Spanish food and drink products. This system is similar to that found in other European countries, and is part of EU regulations. The denominación de origen system covers products such as cheese, olive oil, ham, and vinegar, but here … Read more

Guide to the fiestas of Barcelona and Catalonia, Spain

Festa Mercè, Barcelona

The Catalan and Spanish people love to celebrate and their festival traditions are unique, lively and colourful. No matter when you visit Barcelona and Catalonia, Spain you are bound to stumble upon one festival or another. The traditional festivals (called ‘festes’ in Catalan and ‘fiestas’ in Spanish) are celebrations of the land and sea by … Read more

Chauffeur-driven Tesla S for your private tour of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

Tesla S. Image courtesy Autolux

As a family-run, sustainable tour company, we at Artoba Tours are delighted to now offer our private tours of Barcelona and Catalonia in a chauffeur-driven Tesla Model S electric car. Tesla are at the forefront of electric cars and sustainable travel, and are undoubtedly at the forefront of luxury sustainable vehicles. So it’s a perfect … Read more

Private wine tours Priorat – selection of organic vineyards

La Morera de Montsant, Priorat privaite wine tour

The Priorat wine region is a paradise for wine lovers searching for private wine tours of wineries and vineyards. Set in breathtaking countryside, the world class Priorat wineries are perched in the steep hills of southern Catalonia. With its roots in wine making going back to the Roman times, the story of viticulture in the … Read more

Catalonia’s ‘La Ruta de l’Atzar’ (Route of Fate) Wins Tourism Video Prize

Screenshot from Turisme de la Generalitat de Catalunya´s 'La Ruta de l'Atzar' (Route of Fate)

Catalonia’s tourism agency has just won the best film prize from the International Committee of Tourism Film Festivals (CIFFT). ‘La Ruta de l’Atzar’ (Route of Fate) is a short film promoting tourism in Catalonia, and follows two women as they retrace the steps around Catalonia of a musician as chronicled in his journal. They see … Read more

Catalonia archaeology heritage – time periods and ages

Chronology Catalonia Time Periods

In archaeology, a standard convention is the division of prehistory and history into three main ages, the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. This three-age system has been used since the nineteenth century, and as a general framework works well. Since the introduction of radiocarbon dating in the mid-twentieth centuries – which allowed for the absolute dating rather than the relative dating used previously –  the three-age system has continued to be used and matched to relatively precise dates.

Across Europe, and the world, different chronologies occured and researchers use different names and definitions, which match the regional or national archaeology. The table below provides the time periods and ages’ names & divisions used by the Inventari del Patrimoni Cultural Immoble Català (Catalan Cultural Heritage Inventory), Generalitat de Catalunya, as it relates to the archaeology of Catalonia. This provides a general resource and resource guide for the dates used in the literature on the prehistory and history of Catalonia. The dates, however, are a moveable feast, in that new sites and finds can change the upper and lower ranges, and more recent publications will use a different sequence.

Read more