The Vall de Boí is a deep valley in the Catalan Pyrenees, and its tiny villages hold a remarkable collection of Romanesque churches from the early twelfth century, tall, plain and beautifully proportioned, with slender bell towers. UNESCO listed nine of them in 2000, and Sant Climent de Taüll is the finest. The church, with its six-storey Lombard-style tower, stands on a slope above the village, and its interior was once decorated with a great painting of Christ in Majesty, the Pantocrator, in strong red, blue and ochre. The original apse painting was removed in the early twentieth century and now hangs in the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona, while a faithful copy fills the church. The building was consecrated in 1123.
The valley itself is a landscape of steep green slopes and stone villages with slate roofs, below the high peaks of the Aigüestortes National Park, a place of granite, lakes and torrents. The air is clear and smells of pine and cut hay, and in autumn the larches turn gold.
For riders, the ride up the valley from the main road is a pleasure. It follows the Noguera de Tor, winding up through the villages with a mix of tight bends and easy curves, and a good surface. Take care in winter, when snow and ice are common, and the weather can turn quickly at any season. Traffic can be heavy in July and August, with coaches and campers, so aim to arrive early. Parking is available at the village edges, and the church is a short walk.
Taüll is small, and the nearest places with certain fuel are El Pont de Suert, on the main road to the south, or Vielha, a mountain town of over five thousand people on the far side of the Vielha tunnel, about twenty-one kilometres away. Sort, with just over two thousand people, is another option. Bring a warm layer even in summer, as the evenings are cool.