Peratallada

Peratallada takes its name from pedra tallada, cut stone, and the description is literal: the defensive moat around the village was not dug in earth but quarried out of the sandstone bedrock, and the stone taken from it built the walls and houses, so the village and its ditch are the same rock. Inside are the eleventh-century castle and its tower, a walled circuit with gates, arcaded lanes and a small square, almost all in the same honey-coloured stone. The village has around three hundred residents and has become one of the most visited of the Emporda, with restaurants and small hotels occupying many of the buildings. Nearby Pals and Monells share the same building tradition and stone.

What you actually see

• The rock-cut moat - a defensive ditch quarried from the bedrock.
• The castle and tower - an eleventh-century fortress at the centre.
• The arcaded lanes - covered passages in honey-coloured sandstone.
• The walled circuit - gates and walls enclosing the village.

When to go

April to June and September to November; summer weekends bring heavy traffic from the Costa Brava and the village fills. Winter is quiet with several restaurants closed.

Honest expectations

The village is very small and walked in half an hour. It has become almost entirely given over to restaurants and boutique accommodation. Parking is outside and charged in season.

Nearby

Pals and Monells are nearby villages in the same stone; the Costa Brava beaches lie east.