The Comaca of the Baix Camp

A comarca - roughly equivalent to a country – is a natural administrative area resulting from a study of the territorial division of Catalonia. Created in 1931 and inspired by Pau Vila and Josep Iglésies, this division was approved by the Generalitat (autonomous government) of Catalonia in 1936. It is based on the natural relations of vicinity, conditions and the persistence of historical demarcations. The essential characteristic is that they are on a human scale from the point of view of their inhabitants; in the words of Valentí Almirall, “the comarca is something you can see and touch”. Each comarca has a capital which serves as a market centre and provides certain services and facilities, depending on each case. Catalonia is divided into 41 comarcas. The comarca of the Baix Camp is situated in the south and covers an area of 695.3 km2. It has a population of around 150,000 distributed in 28 municipalities, and its capital is Reus.

The Baix Camp is a land of contrasts. The plain is occupied by crops, the most important being hazelnuts (with the special denomination DO Avellana de Reus), almonds, olives (within the oil denomination DOP Siurana) and carob, as well as wine from the DO Tarragona. Also well-known is the muscatel made in Montbrió del Camp. The Prades mountains in the north, with a range of coastal hills in the center, enclose land with forests of pine and holm oak and crops like the potatoes of Prades (with their own quality denomination). This nearness to the mountains means the visitor can find stream beds filled with rushes, and ancient tracks with typically Mediterranean vegetation –agave, prickly pear and pomergranite-around springs, and villages with church towers of varying shapes and sizes. Dotted around the countryside are farms and isolated houses with the characteristic palm tree, shaded by fig trees, mulberry trees and acacias, or climbing muscatel vines. On the outskirts of the villages are cementeries with their rows of cypress trees signalling a welcome. Further outside the village are to be founs housing developments for those who wish to lead a quiet life, close to nature. Restaurants and inns of different kinds are there to satisfy travellers whatever their tastes. On the coast, the golden sandy beaches, whether long or nestling in small coves, attract holidaymakers from all over the world. The seaside towns and villages offer the finest selection of seafood cuisine based on local fishermen’s catches. Restaurants, hotels, discotheques and bars bustle where once there were quiet fishing villages.

Welcome to the comarca of the Baix Camp. The sightseeing routes named after the four Mediterranean winds which are a characteristic feature of the comarca all year round will surprise you with this land of contrasts: the mountains, the plain and the sea.

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