The “Mercat del Ram” of Vic is a real festival for the citizens. It is also the meeting point for the agricultural sector, although this year’s edition has had to be reinvented to adapt to the new situation caused by the covid19 pandemic and to preserve health safety measures.

One of the fairs with more history of the fair calendar of Catalonia, this edition, will not be as lucid as the previous ones, but it is performed to maintain the essence and tradition of this event.

The organization has established two spaces to centralize the activity. On the one hand, the Recinto Ferial El Sucre will be the meeting point of the livestock activity. The visitor will be able to take a strolling tour to see the farm animals, agricultural machinery and exhibitions and trades related to life in the countryside. There will also be a specific area for professionals in the sector.

In the area of the Jaume Balmes Park is where the Gastro & Art Space will be included, with exhibitors of food products from the region on the one hand and craft exhibitors on the other. All activities and samples of the Mercat del Ram de Vic fair are outdoors and must follow the required sanitary measures, along with access control and capacity in the areas of activity.

There are some records of the celebration of this festival in one of the precepts of King Odon written in the year 888, but it was not until 1930 when they wanted to give a more modern air to the fair, where they began to introduce very select exhibitions of animals and other craft products, agricultural machinery and trade fair. Over the years, other manifestations have been incorporated, whether of economic, popular, cultural, folkloric or recreational-creative activities, such as the fast-puncture contest, sports competitions, gastronomic samples or equestrian exhibitions.

Other traditional activities that take place in parallel, apart from the blessing of the palmones in the different places of worship, include the Procession of Silence or the concert on Friday.

Created around the traditional “Mercat del Ram” to promote the purchase of palms or laurel to celebrate Palm Sunday, this event has become one of the fairs with greater dimension and projection in Catalonia and has been transformed into a true multi-sector fair. Although it was initially held between Palm Saturday and Palm Sunday, from 1976 it was concentrated only in the three days of Palm Sunday weekend, since the inauguration takes place on Friday afternoon and the fair closes on Sunday evening of the same weekend.

In all the years of celebration, the intense days of the fair have been usual. The main highlights have been the Concurs Català de Vaca Frisona, the Concurs de Canals Porcines and the Jornades Tècniques Ramaderes.

Neither the “Concurso de Escaparates” (Storefront) or the International Hot Air Balloon Trophy can be left out.

The territory of central Catalonia is an ideal option to enjoy the different landscapes or live new experiences, remember the history or taste an exquisite gastronomic offer of the area. In the regions of Bages, Osona or Garrotxa you can enjoy a natural environment where you can practice all kinds of recreational, sporting or cultural activities, either in group or family and are especially recommended for a short vacation during Easter.

The area of Osona is ideal to travel with the family, with your partner or a group of friends. It has a wide variety of proposals and tourist experiences, although Horseback Riding, Hot Air Balloon flights or visits to some of the charming villages are the most popular. The main advantage of the area is its location, located halfway between the Pyrenees and Costa Brava and just under an hour’s drive from Barcelona or Girona and the traveler can be surprised by the charm of some of these localities in which their visit is recommended.

Some recommended visits to villages with personalities:

• Alpens
• Rupit
• Sant Julià de Vilatorta
• Vidrà
• Viladrau

Another of the environments that stand out in the heart of Catalonia is Cardona, which is presented as a different destination, just an hour from Barcelona, where nature and history come together to offer visitors a unique experience. The interior and exterior of the Salt Mountain are ideal spaces to celebrate singular events. Its interior has been the setting for dinners, recitals and live musical events that have left no one indifferent. The imposing castle, perfectly restored, offers unique spaces such as the exceptional collegiate church of Sant Vicenç or the Casamata, the old powder magazine of the castle, to celebrate all kinds of events.

In the central region, another recommended environment is the Garrotxa region, where its natural heritage stands out. The Volcanic Zone is the maximum exponent of its landscape.

The Parc Natural Park of “Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa” has numerous itineraries that can be done on foot, and most of them are very well signposted. These routes within the Natural Park often connect with those of the Itinerànnia hiking network. Therefore, from this Natural Park you can access, on foot, to any other point of the same region of La Garrotxa or Ripollés or Alt Empordà through these routes of Itinerànnia.

In La Garrotxa you can also visit some of its charming villages, recalling the medieval history, and where two towns stand out.

On the one hand Santa Pau, a village that requires special attention. The historical enclosure of the municipality is preceded by the castle of the Barony, documented since the mid-thirteenth century. Santa Pau is one of the best-preserved medieval squares in Catalonia.

On the other hand, it is advisable to reserve a long time to walk around Besalú. The historical complex is the best preserved of Catalonia, where you can appreciate in all its splendor its religious and civil buildings of great interest, where the Church-Monastery of Sant Pere stands out. In this same church square you can visit the Casa Cornellá, considered one of the best preserved Romanesque buildings. The Hospital of Sant Juliá, the Romanesque Church of San Vicenç, which incorporates some Gothic elements, the building of the Royal Curia and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria are other examples of the enormous heritage of this town.