In his Chronicle, Bernat Desclot says that Montsoriu Castle was one of the grandest and most beautiful in the world. And he was right. This impressive castle was the focal point of the viscounty of Cabrera, one of the most powerful feudal lordships in mediaeval Catalonia. It stands proud at the top of a mountain which offers a commanding view of most of the county, from the peaks of the Montseny Massif to the sea. Today, in the middle of a restoration process following a long period of deterioration and abandonment, Desclot’s words seem more apposite than ever.

The castle comprises three concentric enclosures. The upper enclosure is where the original 10th-century castle was built. It is dominated by the keep, which stands at 16 metres tall. The second level, walled in the 13th century and altered in the 14th century, contains the Gothic-style viscount’s palace, distributed around a large arcaded courtyard which conceals a cistern with a capacity for 250,000 litres of water. Further down again, the lower enclosure completes an outstanding complex that is not to be missed.