discovering.. MAÇANET DE CABRENYS
From Darnius, with its lake, a small road leads uphill, in the midst of thousands of shade trees. After about 20 minutes one will see a sign to the “Font del Carmé” which is a spring that invites us to stop and rest and admire the excellent water and the surrounding rich vegetation.
Soon, past the font the traveller will pass between plane trees along the roadside which are the portal to one of the most beautiful villages in the mountains of the Alt Empordà: Maçanet de Cabrenys.
At the entrance to the village there will be another sign to a spring, the font d’en Coll, and the hotels and restaurants of the small village of Tapis, which lies high above the font, but belongs administratively to Maçanet.
If one turns to the right after the village entrance, the unpaved roadway takes us to the hermitage “La Mare de Déu de Les Salines”.
The way may be difficult, but once you arrive you will be rewarded with a breathtaking view. If we drive on straight, instead, you will reach the centre of Maçanet.
Here we will find a heaven-like peace. You will be tempted to tarry on a rock surrounded by the mountains of Les Salinas, in the midst of impressing vegetation, close to the sheep, which feast here, and just take in the ambiance.
Enjoy Maçanet with its old houses, set around the church, St.Marti, with its small vegetable gardens which dot the village, fed by the crystal-clear water of the Arnera.
Breath the fresh air: The old, magic, rural Maçanet in the mountains of the Alt Empordá capture our imagination. The municipality consists of 67.46 km2 and in this measure Maçanet is one of the largest towns of the Alt Empordá. The mountains to the north achieve stately heights: “Roc de Campana” (1398 m.), “Roc de frausa” (14450 m) and “Puig de les Salines” (1331 m).
It is hard to imagine that a village in such a location, surrounded by mountains, had two thousand inhabitants in the 19th century.
Back them the inhabitants lived quite well with the land and cattle, the olive trees, the cork tree and the mining of iron. Now the mines are closed and the earth is not suitable for modern agriculture. Nevertheless, 700 denizens still enjoy the beauty and serenity of the area.
Each weekend many people from the region come to Maçanet. Nowhere else can they find such abundant fresh mushrooms from the Pyrenees. The rivers are teeming with trout. And the prices for most things are less than on the coast, and this, too, may be a reason to visit the area.
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