Cardona castle looks down on a town built on salt. The fortress sits on a ridge above the Cardener river, a hilltop of towers and walls that dates back to the ninth century, and it served as the seat of the Dukes of Cardona, one of the most powerful noble families in medieval Catalonia. Today much of the castle has become a Parador hotel, and its Romanesque church of Sant Vicenç, consecrated in the eleventh century, is a gem of early Catalan architecture. The town below has about five thousand people and a quiet, cobbled centre.
The salt is the thing. Beside the town rises the Muntanya de Sal, a mountain of rock salt that has been mined for centuries, and a section of the mine is now a museum, where guides lead you underground through glittering tunnels. In the old days, salt was one of the sources of Cardona's wealth, and the colour of the mountain varies with the minerals, with streaks of red, grey and white after rain. Potash mining in nearby Súria shaped the area's economy in the twentieth century, and the landscape bears the marks.
The roads here are interesting. The route from Manresa winds through low hills, vineyards and forests, with gentle bends and good views, and it carries on toward Solsona and the Pre-Pyrenees. The surface is generally decent, but the narrow roads in the villages can be rough and gravelly. Traffic is light on weekdays, and weekends bring visitors to the castle. Summers are hot and dry, with wildfires a risk, and winters can be foggy. Spring is lovely, with green fields and blossom.
Practically, Cardona has fuel and small supermarkets, along with bars and restaurants serving Catalan food, including grilled meat, snails in season and local cheeses. The Parador has a restaurant with views over the valley. Parking near the castle is possible, though the final approach is steep and cobbled, so you may prefer to walk up from the town. Súria is the next large settlement, and Manresa, a bigger city, offers every service. Take a jacket for the cool underground mine.