Rural Catalonia beats to its own rhythm: villages, valleys and mountains where everyday life blends naturally with history and authenticity. It is no coincidence that cinema has found some of its most memorable settings here. This route explores places where films and TV series have captured the essence of the land, inviting travellers to discover an inland Catalonia revealed through living landscapes and powerful stories. Rural Barcelona: mountains, forests and memory The route begins at Montserrat, Catalonia’s “magical” mountain and one of the great icons of Paisatges Barcelona, steeped in legend and spiritual symbolism. For the creators of La Mesías, Montserrat was not just a backdrop, but a character in its own right. The production team returned repeatedly to film it from multiple angles, searching for its most symbolic and emotional dimension. Audiences were able to reconnect with this bond at the series premiere held at Barcelona’s Sala Phenomena in 2023, where Los Javis, the show’s directors, presented the first episodes. Visitors to the sanctuary today can complete the experience with Luz Splendens, a video mapping installation created to mark the Millennium, an immersive proposal that blends music, art and technology inside the Basilica. Stone villages and rural memory in inland Barcelona The journey continues to Mura, in the heart of the Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park, a stone-built village historically linked to vineyard cultivation. Nearby lies the historic complex of Puig de la Balma, a key location in recreating rural post-war life in Pa Negre, thanks to its rock-hewn walls and isolated setting. Talamanca and Navarcles round off the escape with castles, monasteries and peaceful walking trails. As a complement to the visit, the natural park also offers inclusive theatrical walking routes, an initiative that combines nature and artistic creation to present the area’s heritage in an engaging and accessible way. These activities turn landscape exploration into a participatory experience, ideal for understanding local history and culture through a more sensory and immersive approach. Natural landscapes as open-air film sets In the Berguedà, already within the Pyrenees area, Caracremada found the perfect setting to tell the story of the last Catalan maqui: dense forests, isolated farmhouses and a sense of resistance that still permeates