Clivelleres

Clivelleres is an abandoned masia (traditional Catalan farmhouse) in the municipality of Mediona, in the Alt Penedès comarca, province of Barcelona, Catalonia. The building sits on the slope of the hill sharing its name, at an elevation of nearly 680 metres, and although uninhabited and partly collapsed, it still draws hikers — mainly for the view over the Penedès valley.

Where exactly is Clivelleres?

The farmhouse stands south of Mediona's town centre, at the foot of the Turó de les Clivelleres, between the hills of Turó dels Pins Verds and la Piula. The whole area, known as the Serra de Clivelleres, is a ridge in Alt Penedès whose highest point (744 metres) carries a geodetic survey marker. From the terrace beside the farmhouse there are views over the Valldellòs gorge and the Penedès plain, rated by locals among the best vantage points in the region.

What does the building look like?

Clivelleres is a cluster of farm structures arranged around a rectangular main building with a ground floor and an upper storey under a two-pitched roof, much of which has now caved in. The walls are built from roughly hewn stone laid dry, without mortar, with traces of old plaster still visible in places. The entrance, set off-centre in the façade, is framed by a stone segmental arch. Rectangular window openings survive upstairs, and the rear of the building was rebuilt in brick at some point. A separate small structure houses a brick bread oven, a reminder of how self-sufficient the farm once was.

Where does this farmhouse come from?

The exact construction date is unknown, but researchers link the building to the late 18th century, when vineyard acreage around Mediona expanded rapidly to supply grapes for distilling brandy exported to Holland and the Americas. During the 19th century the farm likely gained importance as wine prices rose, a consequence of the phylloxera blight that devastated French vineyards and, for a few decades, made Catalan wine especially sought after. The people who lived here worked the terraced fields cut into the hillside nearby; once abandoned, those terraces were gradually reclaimed by forest.

What condition is the building in today?

The masia is abandoned and in poor condition — its roof has partly collapsed, and parts of the structure are buried under earth and vegetation. It remains privately owned, but is listed in Mediona's municipal heritage catalogue (entry ARQ063, approved July 2012) under a lower tier of heritage protection (BPU classification). It currently serves no function: nobody lives there and no farming takes place on site.

How do you get to Clivelleres?

The easiest way to reach the farmhouse is on foot, along a trail linking Sant Joan de Mediona with the surrounding hills. One popular route starts at the Els Rentadors washhouse and covers about 12.6 km round trip with roughly 370 metres of elevation gain. Along the way it passes the Font de Conilles spring, a good rest stop, and the Cova de Bolet cave, which carries several local legends. The farmhouse lies roughly halfway along the route, after which the trail continues toward the geodetic marker atop Turó de les Clivelleres and the Roques Blanques rocks, with views straight down onto Sant Joan de Mediona.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside Clivelleres? The building is private property, badly deteriorated and partly collapsed, so entering it is neither safe nor advisable — it's best admired from the outside.

How long does it take to reach the Clivelleres farmhouse? It depends on the route, but the popular loop from Sant Joan de Mediona runs about 12.6 km with 370 metres of elevation gain, usually taking 3-4 hours round trip.

What else is worth seeing nearby? Along the way it's worth stopping at the Font de Conilles spring and the Cova de Bolet cave, while the geodetic marker on Turó de les Clivelleres and the Roques Blanques rocks offer some of the best views over the Penedès.

Why is the farmhouse abandoned? Like many Catalan rural farmsteads, Clivelleres lost its purpose as rural depopulation took hold during the 20th century — the surrounding cultivation terraces stopped being worked and were gradually reclaimed by forest.