The little Romanesque church of Santa Eulàlia stands at Erill la Vall, one of the villages of the Vall de Boí in the Catalan Pyrenees, and its tall, slim bell tower is a landmark from the road. Together with ten other churches and hermitages in the valley, it was listed by UNESCO in 2000, and the whole group is a small marvel. They were built in the early twelfth century, in a style borrowed from Lombardy, with stout stone walls, round arches and bell towers decorated with blind arcades. Inside, the frescoes that once covered the walls were taken down in the early twentieth century and are now in the museum in Barcelona, while replicas have been placed on site.
The valley is a rider's treat. The road climbs from the Noguera Ribagorçana in a ribbon of tight bends and gentle straights, with the peaks of the Aigüestortes National Park rising ahead and the slopes covered in meadows, beech and fir. Traffic is light for most of the year, though the roads to the ski resort at Boí-Taüll fill in winter, and snow can close higher roads from November to April. Summer mornings are crisp, with mist in the hollows, while autumn colours are spectacular, with larches turning gold.
Vielha, in the Val d'Aran, is about nineteen kilometres away by the crow, but the road distance is longer, and it has about five thousand people and reliable fuel. Closer by, small shops in the valley villages sell cheese, sausage and honey, and the local food is warming mountain cooking, with stews, grilled lamb and a hearty soup called olla. For a larger town on the southern side, El Pont de Suert is the usual stop.
Take your time at the church. The cool, dim interior and the thick stone walls are a pleasure in hot weather, and the view from the churchyard across the roofs of the village toward the mountains is lovely. Visits to some churches are by guided tour, so check the times, and keep your voice low, because this is still a place of worship.