Sant Miquel d’Olèrdola: An Ancient Iberian Fortress
In the vine-peppered foothills of the Alt Penedès sits an ancient Iberian fortress with over 4,000 years of history. The archaeological site at Olèrdola is one of the most impressive pre-Roman settlements in Catalunya.
Sitting on top of slanting limestone bluffs, some 10 kilometers south of Vilafranca del Penedès, the ancient settlement stands in the midst of one of Europe’s oldest wine-producing regions. Gaping precipices surround it on every side, affording impressive views of the Penedès plain looking north towards Montserrat, and south-east across the Garraf massif.
These formidable natural defenses attracted Olèrdola’s first major civilization, an Iberian Iron Age tribe called the Cesetani, who were possibly the first people to sow grapes in the region, 2,500 years ago. Between the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, they built a walled oppidum here, where they lived in rectangular stone huts. They produced ceramics influenced by commerce with the seafaring Phoenicians and Greeks, who had established trading ports on the Empordà coast. You can still see the original walls of the fort from this period, as well as dwellings with silos, irrigation canals and huge water-capturing cisterns cut into the mountain.
By the third century BCE, the Cesetani found themselves caught in the middle of a monumental collision between two great empires, the Romans and the Carthaginians. They sided with the Romans, who took control of the settlement and drove the Carthaginians out, establishing the province of Hispania Citerior Tarraconensis, with its capital at Tarragona. There are numerous remains from Olèrdola’s Roman period, including the gate tower, while on the heights of the hill, beyond thick scrub and evergreen oaks, there’s a ruined Roman watchtower. Nearby, you will also find a gorgeous Romanesque chapel dating from a later 12th-century settlement.
An hour’s drive from Barcelona, Sant Miquel d’Olèrdola forms part of the Ruta dels Ibers, a network of more than a dozen Iberian archaeological sites across Catalunya. The site also has a small but informative archaeological museum. Admission is €3.50.
Where to Lunch
Dating back to the 11th century, Masia Segarrulls is a medieval farmhouse situated on the road winding up the hill to the ruins of Olèrdola. The establishment is full of antediluvian curiosities and keeps up its historical traditions with medieval-styled banquets (upon request). It is open at weekends and on public holidays, and the Catalan-style menú del día is €22.50 on weekdays and €32.50 on weekends and holidays.
Wine Tasting
Locals have been producing wine in this area since the sixth century BCE, when Phoenician traders introduced the first Chardonnay grapes. The white-washed, 19th-century Finca Viladellops is on a charming spot beside the castle of Sant Miquel, surrounded by almonds, olives and armies of vines marching over the hill. It’s the kind of place Van Gogh would have enjoyed painting. A guided tour of the wine cellar, vineyard and the 12th-century chapel (remarkably similar to that of Sant Miquel d’Olèrdola) costs €24, with a tasting session at the end.
Getting There
Take the A2 going west out of Barcelona. At Vilafranca del Penedès, take the C-15 and head south until Sant Miquel d’Olèrdola. From here it’s a short drive along the BV-2443 to the archaeological site.
Originally published February 2018, updated August 10, 2021.