Welcome to VAIC Tour "The rural areas in Barcelona's Natural Park", a unique experience that shows some of the hidden spots of this charming natural area on an electric bike. As you are about to see, right next to Barcelona there are still places where the silence is only broken by the crickets singing in the sunset or the grunt of a distant boar.
During this journey you will ride through fields, across streams and past ancient churches and farmhouses. You will be able to have a rest in quiet forests and also to relieve your hunger in some of the restaurants along the way. Once back in Sant Cugat, you will discover some of its most representative symbols.
With the electric bike you will feel a gentle push that will help you go uphill along the path, so you will only have to worry about enjoying the company and the surroundings... Whenever you approach a climb, don't worry, your bike will take care of it!
One, two, three, VAIC! Now start pedalling!

We've just arrived at the edge of the city of Sant Cugat. From this point to the neighbouring city of Cerdanyola we can find a part of the green corridor between Collserola and Sant Llorenç del Munt, two of the main natural parks in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.
A green corridor is an area that links up two natural areas and allows wildlife to travel from one area to another without difficulties. It also allows plants to naturally spread to other areas; this natural phenomenon is known as ecological connectivity. The goal is to ensure that no animal or plant species become isolated, providing animals crossing points under roads, railroads, through industrial zones and other built environments.
In the area we can find farmland and patches of forest which allow animals to move from one place to another. In 2012, some sections were replanted with native trees and bushes, and a net of paths was created in order to allow leisure uses. By doing this the quality of both the habitats and the landscape has improved, which favours fauna mobility and at the same time reinforces the connection between people and their natural environment. You too can enjoy it as you ride!

The Catalonia Innovation Triangle (CiT) is comprised between the cities of Sant Cugat, Cerdanyola and Rubí, and houses several businesses and institutions that share excellence and innovation as a common motif. Some examples are the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the ESADE Business School, the High Performance Sports Centre and the ALBA Synchrotron Light Facility, which is right in front of where we are standing.
Opened as an icon of state-of-the-art European technology in 2010, this synchrotron speeds up electrons through a 270 meter-long underground tunnel to produce an extremely intense light source (a billion times more powerful than x-rays) to observe diverse phenomena with an extraordinary accuracy. This instrument can be used to perform very advanced scientific and technological studies, such as the creation of new medicines and design of new materials and nanoscopic objects, among many other purposes.
By the way, it is said that if you stay really quiet, you might even hear the electrons travelling as fast as lightning through the tunnel right under your feet.

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Come on! Don't tell me you believed that!

After riding a while on the path along the stream (which is most of the time dry), we have just passed under the Can Canaletes aqueduct, probably built between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to carry water from this point to the city of Barcelona. This construction can also be seen as the entrance gate to the Collserola Natural Park from the city of Cerdanyola. In this point the landscape switches to a bucolic rural environment, with the Santa Maria de les Feixes chapel in the middle of the fields.
We are standing at the beginning of a trail that goes along the Feixes Valley and all the way to the Sant Iscle de les Feixes chapel, past several cottages and farmhouses. The first one is Can Canaletes, on the right-hand side of the path in this point. It was built in the sixteenth century and bought in 1770 by a citizen of Barcelona after the Jesuits, the previous owners, were expelled from Spain by the order of King Charles III.
The church of Santa Maria de les Feixes is also part of the property that the man bought. First documented in the early fourteenth century, its exterior was restored in 2013, following the documentation of its previous reconstruction in 1748.
In this part of Collserola, as in other points at the edge of the natural are, the space between the forest and the city is given over to agriculture. This transition zone is essential to maintain very important breeding and feeding habitats for wildlife, while also allowing a traditional activity such as agriculture to be kept up.
So keep your eyes open; let�s see who is the first to catch a glimpse of a squirrel jumping through the treetops or an eagle crossing the sky!

Not many years ago, the landscape around the farmhouses like Can Codina was quite different from what we see now. The forest was not as dense as it is today because of the intense wood extraction for diverse purposes: cooking, heating, construction, manufacture of various agricultural implements, etc.
Mr. Fermí, who lived in Can Codina more than 100 years ago, wrote once what life on the farm was like at that time:
"Life in Can Codina was centred on the ground floor. Kitchen and dining room was the same space. There was an open fireplace, a sink for washing the dishes and another where people washed themselves. The house had no running water, so we took it from a well located 20 meters away from the house. There was no electricity either, so we used oil lamps and candles instead".

We are now at the entrance to the farmhouse of Can Coll. Sunday, between 9:30 and 15:00, is the only day when Can Coll is open to the public without previous appointment. On Sundays we can visit the museum of rural life as well as other exhibitions in the main building, and participate in activities for children, such as visits to the farm and nature trails. We can get there by bike but we must leave them properly secured before entering the main patio, where bicycles are not allowed. We must do so in a clearly visible place where they do not disturb others.

Next to the road that links the city of Cerdanyola and Barcelona we can find the historic farmhouse of Can Coll. One of the biggest constructions of its type in Cerdanyola, it is documented with this name since the 16th century, and previously as Mas Portell.
Like all farmhouses, in ancient times Can Coll was self-sufficient as it had all the spaces and tools that are necessary for the life in the countryside. To the main building were added over the years a number of extensions and new rooms in order to carry out the daily tasks and to store grain and other agricultural goods. Outside of the main building, across the courtyard, you can still find the cistern as well as what was the threshing floor, where the grain was separated from the straw.
After being owned by various families throughout the years, the house was restored in 1987 and became the main environmental education centre in the Collserola Natural Park.

In the 10th century, as the Christians were gaining upon the moors during the Reconquista, the land of what is now Cerdanyola was repopulated by smallholders who worked the land freely, without being under the authority of any noble. Over time, however, the lord of the Castle of Sant Marçal de Cerdanyola, founded between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, ended up imposing his authority on the farmers, so that their freedom was severely limited. The decisions made in the castle affected several parishes, between which there was Sant Martí de Cerdanyola, where the lands of Can Coll were located. As an example of their struggle, even though the lord called his dominions "of the castle of Sant Marçal," farmers got away with the definitive name of their main parish: "Sant Martí de Cerdanyola", which finally gave rise to the name of the current city of Cerdanyola.
In 1385, in another episode of the conflicts between peasants and nobles, the "Commune of Sant Martí de Cerdanyola" was created, a sort of land workers union that defended their interests in front of the lord's. This group often met at Can Coll, which gives an idea of the importance that the house had in the struggle for the dignity of peasants.

Between tall trees and often accompanied by the gurgling of the stream, we find the fountain of Sant Pau. It was rediscovered and restored by the Collserola Natural Park in 1996, after more than fifty years buried under successive landslides.
It is an excellent place to stop and enjoy the tranquillity of the Mediterranean humid forest. In this environment we find species of trees such as the plane tree, hazelnut and poplar, as well as other shrubs and riverine fauna. In a dry climate like the Mediterranean, this type of forest is found mostly next to water courses, which in Collserola are not as common as in other latitudes. A place like this is perfect to have a little rest and recover some energy before resuming the march.

Bordering fields and riding along forests of pine and oak, we arrive at Can Borrell. This farmhouse located in the heart of the valley of Gausac was first documented in the eleventh century, although the present building dates from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Can Borrell has always been very popular because of its location on the old road between Sant Cugat and Barcelona, and also for being a part of the way to the neighbouring chapel of Sant Medir. As long as Sant Cugat and the nearby towns maintained their agricultural activity, it was well-known among agricultural workers in the region that brought their products to Barcelona. Later, both pilgrims of Sant Medir and hikers started frequenting the place as a spot to eat and drink on the way to the shrine, especially on the day of Sant Medir. That day the front and back doors remained open and the house became literally a part of the path. Until recently, on the way back to Sant Cugat on Sant Medir�s day, the pilgrims danced in the house�s patio the last traditional dances until next year�s celebration. After some time, it started operating as a restaurant providing breakfasts and lunches, and it has remained like this until our days.
Today, we can still find some agricultural activity, as can be seen from the road to Sant Cugat when the growing crops become visible. The main reason for the cultivation of this land is no longer feeding people or animals but is related to the maintenance of the environment. Surrounded by dense forest, the fields and open spaces favour biodiversity and have a very important role in slowing down the progress of the flames in case of wildfires.

Between the trees and next to the fields on our left we can sight the Torre Negra (the Black Tower). This building used to be a defence tower when it was built in 1145 by the Abbot Ermengol from the Sant Cugat Monastery in order to deter the Saracen attacks in the Valley of Gausac.
During the brightest days of the Monastery in the XIII and XIV centuries there were clashes between abbots and nobles for the control of the land of the Valley, whose control depended on the Tower�s ownership. These disputes lasted for centuries, until 1728, when the nobles ceded the Black Tower along with the Valley of Gausac in favour of the monks.

According to the old stories only the elders still recall, many centuries ago the abbots of the Monastery ordered the building of a tunnel all the way from the Monastery to the Torre Negra, the ancient fortress that protected the valley. In case the Saracens or any other threat to the community approached, the monks always would have the option to escape through this secret passage. Nevertheless, others state that this tunnel would have been built for a totally diverse reason. Despite the vow of celibacy every monk had to take before entering the monastic community, not all of them could keep it throughout their lives. The ones who broke their vow often went through the passage to Torre Negra and paid a visit to the ladies that used to live there. This has never been proven, but the existence of certain tunnels beneath the monastery and near the Torre Negra has resulted in legends and histories that have become part of local folklore, as witnesses of a time when the knowledge was transmitted by word of mouth.

This beautiful area of fields on both sides of the Sant Medir stream, where traditionally vineyards and cereals were grown, has become a symbol of the will of the people of Sant Cugat to preserve the natural area of Collserola in front of the interests of the real-estate industry.
In 1986, a construction company bought more than 40% of the 400 acres that make up the agro forestry sector of Torre Negra, defined by the Spatial Planning documents in 1976 as a non-priority growth sector; this qualification apparently spared it from the major urban developments carried out in Sant Cugat in the following decades.
Nevertheless, the construction company started promoting the urban development of this area, which triggered in 1994 the creation of a civic platform for the protection of Torre Negra. This had great success among the citizens in Sant Cugat and neighbouring cities, who organized protest acts to prevent the entrance of the heavy machinery in Torre Negra. An awareness-raising campaign was also held and obtained more than 10,000 signatures calling for the protection of this area.
In March 1997, an act of vandalism took place when the Pi d'en Xandri (Xandri's Pine, the one we can see supported by wooden posts) was severely damaged with a chainsaw. This was taken by the people as an act of defiance to those who stood for the conservation of Torre Negra. The response was immediate. The same week more than 4,000 people marched to the injured tree in one of the biggest demonstrations that the town of Sant Cugat has ever seen. This popular pressure led all political parties to vote unanimously for the initiation of protection of the area.
After many years of paperwork and litigation between the City Council and the land�s owners, in 2008 the Special Plan for the Protection and Improvement of the Rural Park of Torre Negra was finally approved. However, recent turnarounds have caused the threat of cement in Torre Negra to reappear, so the struggle is more alive than ever.

This unique stone pine (Pinus pinea), more than 230 years old and almost 25 meters tall, is believed to have been planted by a modest land owner to mark the limit of his property. Years after, people named it after Xandri, the owner at the time. The pine gained the peculiar look that it has today when part of its branches broke due to the weight of snow that fell on Christmas Eve in 1962, when a thick white carpet covered almost all of Catalonia.
With the attempt of being cut down and burned in 1997 its popularity grew even more, and now everyone identifies the centennial pine with the struggle for the preservation of Torre Negra. After the attack, the tree received sanitary treatment as well as some maintenance works, including the placement of these huge posts to ensure its stability. As a result, and for the joy of the people of Sant Cugat, it is currently in good shape!

In 2008 the City Council of Sant Cugat approved the Plan for the Protection and Improvement of the Rural Park of Torre Negra. This is not a purely conservationist tool but also sets the framework for new projects that may contribute to the economic reactivation of the sector. This would be the only way to guarantee the continuity of rural activities in time and to preserve the natural and social values associated with them.
For many years, some organizations have worked in this direction through educational activities, projects to restore the cultivation of cereal fields and plans to establish community gardens to enable the inhabitants of Sant Cugat to grow their own vegetables.

This superb masterpiece of Catalan Romanesque and Gothic, first documented in the ninth century, was once one of the most important monasteries in Catalonia. It seems to have its origins in the Roman fortress of Castrum Octavianum that guarded the old path from the city of Egara (current Terrassa) to Barcelona. Right on this spot the Christian martyr Cugat (in English Cucuphas) was killed in the early fourth century, which led to the construction of a small chapel, the precursor of the temple we can now admire.
The monastery was built in the ninth century and played a very important role in the reconquest of the lands from the Moors by the Christians. Thanks to the success of the military operations carried out by the Catalan counts, the Monastery of Sant Cugat could expand its dominions by building churches and shrines in the areas from which the infidels had been expelled.
The Monastery lived its golden age during the 11th and 13th centuries, when up to fifty monks composed the monastic community and new buildings and rooms were added, which gave the Monastery the imposing appearance that we can see today: a 52 meter-long three-nave church built under Romanesque and Gothic influences, whose many highlights place it among the most remarkable architectonic works of the time. Among its most outstanding features are the rose window, 8.2 meters in diameter, and the cloister designed by Arnau Cadell and its finely sculpted capitals.
After the XIV century, the monastery started its decline until 1835, when the last monks left the monastery and it became the parish church of Sant Cugat.
Despite suffering many episodes of plundering throughout its history, most of its artistic treasures and historic documents have remained intact. Currently, its important heritage is scattered between many collections, amongst which we can find the National Museum of Art of Catalonia and even the British Museum.
Since 2003, the cloister hosts the Museum of Sant Cugat, in which we can discover more about the history of the Monastery as well as visit the temporary exhibitions.

They call it the Mass of the Rooster because it is celebrated at early morning on Christmas Eve, right before cockcrow. This night, the monastery had its doors wide open and allowed in all the people of Sant Cugat. But the night of December 24th of 1350 something happened that froze the blood of those who witnessed the horrifying incident.
A few years before the approach of his death, Raimon de Saltells, a wealthy landowner of the neighbouring town of Cerdanyola, decided to leave most of his possessions to the monks of Sant Cugat, with the intention of gaining God's favour in the afterlife. At that time, nobody knew the whereabouts of his only son Berenguer, and it was determined that in case he reappeared he would only receive annually the quantity of 10.000 coins, which, however, it was more than enough to live carefree the rest of his life.
Shortly after the death of his father in mid-1350, Berenguer Saltells came back to the house. He was very upset to learn that the wealth of the family had gone to the abbot of the Monastery of Sant Cugat, Arnau Ramon de Biure, and started claiming what he considered to be his: the complete inheritance of his father.
At the Mass of the Rooster this year, the deadline Berenguer had set for the payment of the debt, six people disguised with fake beards and armed with swords entered the church and headed to the altar. Once there, to the astonishment of those present, they attacked abbot Biure, who succeeded momentarily in protecting himself by brandishing the crucifix in his hands, until the traitor Berenguer thrust the sword into his back. Shortly after the sacrilegious event the bell started ringing to warn the rest of the people about what had just happened and ask for help, as was done in emergency situations. The legend says that the rooster that stood on top of the weathervane crowning the bell tower, realizing the tragedy, crowed so loudly that it could be heard even from the mountain of Montserrat, many kilometres away.
Meanwhile, Berenguer and the other perpetrators of the murder fled in different directions in the darkness of the night. The fields on which they stepped that night, according to the farmers in Sant Cugat, remained barren forever.
In memory of that tragic night, the copper rooster that stood on top of the bell tower currently presides at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. It is said that he crowed so loud that night in 1350, that he was not heard by anybody ever again. Today, this story has been brought to the stage by a local storyteller and writer, Rogeli Pedró, with the work entitled "Pedra i Sang" ("Stone and Blood").

Although this version is the best known, there are some who maintain that Berenguer was not the irresponsible and selfish son of Raimon de Saltells as it is often told. Instead of leaving home to start a life of vice and downfall, some state that he strove for the honour of his family and the Christian cause in the war against the Saracens. Once back at his family house, he might have realized how the abbot Biure manipulated the weak will of his dying father, and claimed what belonged to him as a legitimate heir. Seeing that the abbot ignored his demands, Berenguer might have decided to avenge with blood the honour of his family and defend the dignity of the nobility against the greed of the Church.

Hey what's up?! Are you tired already? Don't think so; but anyway your VAIC Tour "The rural areas in Barcelona's Natural Park" is over.
We hope sincerely that you have enjoyed the outing. If you have any questions about anything involving VAIC Tours please do not hesitate to ask the staff.
We hope to see you soon on another VAIC Tour. Take care!!!