Located in the most western part of the province of Girona, El Ripollès is a mountain comarca of difficult access, which, according to archaeologists, was inhabited 150,000 years ago.
The whole of the Ripollès boasts evidence of the richness of the local Romanesque architecture: the monasteries, castles and over 60 churches add to the natural beauty of the comarca.
The Monastery of Santa Maria in Ripoll boasts a splendid twelfth-century façade (that was defined by the great Catalan poet Jacint Verdaguer as “the Bible stamped on the heart of Catalonia”), the most important Romanesque sculptural work in the country.

The climate and surroundings provide the ideal conditions for the growing and producing of high-quality foods.

From the market gardens come tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, cabbages, onions, broccoli, aubergines and the famous potatoes from the Vall de Camprodon. Hunting provides partridges, quails, woodcocks, wild boar and chamois, whilst in the forests many types of wild mushroom, wild strawberries, blackberries and sloes are all waiting to be picked.
Local beef, lamb, chicken, rabbit and duck compete with charcuterie in the form of a wide variety of blood sausages made with, amongst other things, egg and liver, Catalan specialities such as bull and bisbe, bacon and hams.
Dairy products include sheep and goat’s cheese, mató (an unfermented fresh cheese that is eaten with honey), yoghurts and the famous cakes and biscuits from the town of Camprodon.
During the year many markets, shows and fairs are held, which include events such as the Wool Fair in Ripoll, the Fair of Sant Antoni in Ribes de Freser, with a communal rice dish for all to sample cooked at the hermitage of the same name, and the international sheep-dog trials, traditional throughout the Pyrenees. The trials at Ribes de Freser were first celebrated over 50 years ago and are held the first Sunday of every month of September.