L'Albi is a small village on a hill in Les Garrigues, the dry, olive-covered district southeast of Lleida, and its name appears in the archaeological record thanks to rock shelters in the area, including the Balma dels Punts, the shelter of the dots. The name suggests schematic paintings in the form of dots and lines, typical of the later phase of prehistoric art in the region, and the site is part of the UNESCO listing of Mediterranean rock art. The shelters are small and fragile, and some can only be visited with a guide, so check with the town hall or a local interpretation centre before heading out.
Les Garrigues is olive oil country. The Arbequina variety, named after the nearby village of Arbeca, produces a fruity, delicate oil that is one of the most prized in Spain, and the landscape is dominated by olive groves, almond trees and dry-stone huts called cabanes de volta, built by farmers as shelters. The villages are built of golden stone, with churches, castles and arcaded squares, and the rhythm of life follows the seasons of the olive harvest, which takes place from November to January.
The riding here is quiet and relaxed. The roads wind through the olive groves and over low hills, with little traffic and wide views. To the south, the Serra de la Llena and the Prades mountains offer more challenging roads, with forests, climbs and hairpins, and the Cistercian monastery of Poblet, one of the most important in Spain and the burial place of the kings of Aragon, is about twenty kilometres away. Summers are hot and dry, winters cold, with fog in the plains; spring and autumn are the best seasons, with green fields and mild temperatures.
Services in the Garrigues villages are limited, so fill up in Mollerussa, Les Borges Blanques or Lleida. Vinaixa and Arbeca have small shops and bars. Local food is simple and delicious: bread rubbed with tomato and drizzled with olive oil, grilled meats, snails and the famous olive oil soup. Many olive oil cooperatives offer tastings and sell oil directly, and a bottle of fresh Arbequina is a wonderful souvenir, if you have space in your luggage.