L'Argentera: Serra, trails and local history

L’Argentera combines the landscape of the Serra de l’Argentera with traces of the town’s architecture and history. Three themes in particular can help you choose it as a destination: protected mountain vegetation, trails with different historical connections, and local history. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, you can use these themes as a starting point and consider whether nature, hiking or local history will shape your trip.

Protected landscape and sea views

The Serres de Pradell-l’Argentera is a protected area with Mediterranean siliceous mountain vegetation. It includes stands of maritime pine and yew woods. Within the municipality of l’Argentera, the protected area covers part of the Serra de l’Argentera. At 706 metres, the Morral de Vilanova is the highest peak of the Serra; the Mediterranean can be seen from there. The protected area’s plant life and the sea view from the peak offer two distinct ways to experience the landscape.

Hikes and historic trails

The “Ruta per la serra, passant pel Morral de Vilanova i per Escornalbou” begins in l’Argentera and follows the GR-7 towards the Serra de l’Argentera. The GR-7 runs through the Serra, where several hikes offer beautiful views of the sea. Those interested in a route will find both a named starting point in the town and a connection to a long-distance trail that crosses the Serra.

Another route runs from l’Argentera to Escornalbou along the old path that connected the town with the former monastery of Sant Miquel d’Escornalbou. Some sections of the path are still paved. Here, the focus is not on a view from a peak, but on the former connection between the town and the former monastery.

Local history between the church, cemetery and tunnel

The church of Sant Bartomeu was built in 1750 following a decision by the village community and has a simple Baroque façade. Since 1838, it has housed a large part of the religious objects removed from Escornalbou. The new municipal cemetery is another distinctive feature of the town: it was first used in 1919 and is a smaller, true-to-scale replica of a Parisian cemetery.

Another structure with clearly documented details is the railway tunnel at l’Argentera, also known as the Tunnel de la Torreta or foradada de l’Argentera. It is 4,043.75 metres long. The lead and silver mines of Puig Rodó near l’Argentera offer an earlier glimpse into local history: they were still in operation in 1387. The tunnel and the mines thus point to different chapters in the history of construction and the local economy.

Eduard Toda shaped the present-day appearance of l’Argentera. During the restoration of Escornalbou, he restored Casa Cabrer and financed work on the new cemetery, the town hall, the schools and the Societat, as well as the planting of greenery along the streets. His contributions therefore extended to both individual buildings and improvements to the town’s public spaces.

Festival date and travel

The Festa Major of l’Argentera takes place on 24 August, on the feast day of Sant Bartomeu. If you’d like to plan your trip around this date, check the current programme in advance. Important for your journey: l’Argentera can only be reached via the T-343 road. Take this road connection into account when planning and check the current route before setting off.

Discover more destinations: Colldejou, Almoster, Batea, Creixell, Margalef, Montbrió Del Camp, Vilanova D'escornalbou, Riudoms

For the broader travel overview: Tarragona.