The Alt Empordà is mainly known as a tourist coastal area. Rightly so, but the visitor would be not well served without forays into the hinterland with their small villages. These villages will enchant nature lovers, those seeking quiet and those who appreciate each village’s discreet charm. The villages range from tiny to small to medium sized and they are embedded into the green landscape in a random fashion that reminds the traveller of Toscana, in north-central Italy.

A particularly well-sited village in an idyllically landscape, at 169 meters height, is the village Vilamaniscle, just 3,5 kilometre beyond Garriguella under a spur of the Albera Mountains. If one visits the small village today, one can hardly imagine, that in the second half of the XVIII century there were once about 420 inhabitants.

  

Vilamaniscle



In the prehistoric time people probably lived here, the evidence being the three metres high menhir "Pedra Dreta" which is very close to Vilamaniscle. Other evidence of the distant past, some 6000 years ago, can readily be found in the Albera Mountains.
   


Vilamaniscle is the home for around 120 inhabitants today. If the people are working they must find work elsewhere, mostly in Figueres. The villagers include a teacher, a printer and some other craftsmen, among others. There are also still some who are dedicated to the local agricultural efforts: they cultivate vineyards, maintain the olive trees and send the harvest to the village cooperative. Although the production is not large the wine from Vilamaniscle enjoys a good reputation in the region.
Most of Vilamaniscle's inhabitants are Catalan, but also some strangers live here, attracted to the serenity and lower prices, they have bought up old houses and restored them; Belgians, Germans, French are among the non-Catalan population...

  
Pedra Dreta
  The village is a varied picture of some restored homes, other in the process of restoration and still others that wait for their renovation. The majority of the houses were built between the XVII and XIX century.
Vilamaniscle also has an official town hall, where the mayor Alfons Vila i Cuadrado has served many years in this office, supported by volunteers who work in an honorary capacity. Public traffic is on Tuesday and on Thursday, in each case from 18 to 20 o’clock.
  

Vilamaniscle is dominated by the "Castell", a three-level unrestored building whose origin is difficult to date. The building has little in common with a castle except the name "Castell".

Also a water source exists in the middle of the village. The water, of excellent quality comes from high in the mountains and is not similar to the local water supply

        
    For an excursion to Vilamaniscle one should consider around 19 o’clock in the summer. The evening sun dives into the landscape with a wonderful light and one feels a connection to the countryside.
If one comes from Llançà, it is another 11 kilometre to Vilamaniscle:
"Castell"
Direction of Figueres, exit at the first crossing in direction of Garriguella, and from there Vilamaniscle is well signed. Coming from Roses or Cadaqués one reaches Vilamaniscle over the road to Vilajuiga continuing directly to Garriguella and Vilamaniscle. Also a rougher way is to be recommended for adventurous travellers, starting immediately behind Llançà (look for the wooden sign "Vilamaniscle" near the river bed) leading to 7 km of rather rough dirt roads to Vilamaniscle. This excursion is a mini-adventure for SUV-type vehicles. But do not try it with low sporty cars with spoilers, etc. If you go this route you will be rewarded with marvellous views along the way.
 


Vilamaniscle is also a very good starting point for excursions into the nature. The cloister St. Quirze de Colera is especially popular and can be reached by car in about 20 minutes along forest tracks that are in generally good condition. Or, on foot the walk will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes. The excursion is worthwhile because of the culture-historical importance of the cloister, however, just as much as because of the impressive beautiful landscape along the way. After the first 500 metres of road one also should visit the menhir (Pedra Dreta), about 20 metres to the right of the forest road. Other excursions to the Albera-mountains can also begin at Vilamaniscle. If one does not want to expend much energy then visit the church St. Gil (XVI-XVIII century) this is built very close to the village, in spite of that this distance is rather unusual.

St. Quirze de Colera

So it is assumed that the church once served as a chapel to the village Santa Eulalia de Noves (the present-day Garriguella).

If you have succumbed to Vilamaniscle's charm and wishing to spend some particularly unusual holidays, Vilamaniscle offers an absolutely interesting alternative to a vacation within the tourist centres. Yet, on the one hand the beaches and the infrastructure of the coastal towns are only 10 to 15 minutes away by car, and on the other hand one can find contemplativeness and rest in an unspoiled un-touristy area. In the past two years a small holiday facility "El Penell" (Weathercock) has been established in the former restaurant and Hostal of same name. A visitor seeking absolute rest without the frenetic life on the coast of the Alt Empordà will be very lucky to stay in this village.
                           
CapCreus online, the Web-newspaper of the  Costa Brava: www.cbrava.com