Holiday cottages in Espolla

What can I do in Espolla and its holiday cottages?

A town of good wines and high quality oil. This is Espolla, a small town in Alt Empordà that stretches from the southern slope of the Albera mountain range to the Empordà plain. Espolla also includes a large part of the Orlina valley and is located near Figueres.

The history of Espolla and its surroundings

The southern slope of Albera has been populated since prehistoric times, as the numerous megalithic remains in the area indicate. However, there are no Roman remains, although legend tells that the Carthaginian general Hannibal crossed the Pyrenees via Espolla. Espolla is mentioned for the first time in 844 under the toponym of Spedolia and was made up of a set of temples that were the property of the monastery of Sant Quirze de Colera. Although shortly after, in 882, they became part of the jurisdiction of Sant Pere de Rodes. During the Middle Ages, Espolla was a strategic enclave due to its equidistant situation between Empordà and Rosselló through the Banyuls pass. In the modern age this location also meant always being in the crossfire of the disputes between the Spanish and French crowns. A condition of passage that was repeated centuries later, during the Spanish Civil War, when it became one of the routes to exile.

What to do during your stay at a tourist accommodation in Espolla

Visit its architectural heritage

If you spend a few days in Espolla, you cannot miss the castle, from the 12th-14th centuries, which was a fortress during the Middle Ages, the Casa dels Marquesos de Camps , also medieval, and the church of Sant Martí, very primitive pre-Romanesque style. However, you cannot leave Espolla without buying one of its oils or wines, at the oldest wine cooperative in the region.

Routes through the Serra de l'Albera

Espolla is located in the Paratge Natural de l'Albera, an area with a first-rate natural, historical and landscape wealth, from where you can do a multitude of hiking routes. You can also take the opportunity to visit the legacy of prehistoric human settlements, such as the Barranc dolmen, the Arrenyagats dolmen and the Cabana d'Arqueta corridor tomb.