Barcelonins needing an escape from the city without heading too far into the countryside seek out this extensive, 8000-hectare park in the hills. It is a great place to hike and bike and bristles with eateries and snack bars. Pick up a map from the Centre d’Informació . The principal point of interest is the sprawling Museu-Casa Verdaguer. Catalonia’s revered writer Jacint Verdaguer lived in this late-18th-century country house before his death on 10 July 1902. Beyond, the park has various other minor highlights, including a smattering of country chapels (some Romanesque), the ragged ruins of the 14th-century Castellciuro castle in the west, various lookout points and, to the north, the 15th-century Can Coll , a grand farmhouse. It’s used as an environmental education centre where you can see how richer farmers lived around the 17th to 19th centuries.
