‘Mass tourism makes no sense,’ says Mireia Font, owner of Casa Leonardo, a stopover and inn in Senterada. ‘What we need are trips that transform, not deplete resources and local life. I always say conscious travel is the best university.’ She says it with conviction, without dogma. And she speaks from experience. Casa Leonardo is more than a rural hotel and restaurant – it is a worldview. The ground zero of Catalan ecotourism.
It stands at a crossroads, opposite kilometre zero of the national road, where the murmur of the river mixes with the rumble of tractors. Founded in 1913 by Mireia’s grandparents, it served as a shop, canteen and inn during the construction of local hydroelectric stations. Then came the post-war years, solitude, her grandmother’s retirement and, in 1975, closure.
Mireia – an archaeologist by trade and a hotelier by surprise – reopened it in 2001. She welcomes me with a smile, her hair tousled and her hands stained with soil. ‘I was excavating in the Vall de Boí. The inn where I was staying needed a waitress. Serving, chatting, welcoming guests... I loved it! So I thought: I have a huge house, steeped in history. What if I restore it and make a living from it?’
The house is not a museum, but it could be. In the entrance hall, an old grocery store preserves products and stories from decades gone by. Upstairs, an apothecary’s cabinet stands beside a gramophone; antique chairs, games and books that smell of dust and adventure.
‘Most of them are from customers who were going to throw them away,’ Mireia says, stroking a leather-bound volume. In the kitchen, she introduces us to her mother, Maria Àngels, guardian of family stories. ‘I never thought a small rural house could go viral,’ Mireia laughs. ‘Until my mother’s thyme soup passed a million views on Instagram. Imagine that!’
The autumn sun slants across the village. The school bus drops children at the door. Five cats nap on the threshold. Inside, voices blend in Catalan, Spanish, French and English with a strong Australian accent. A neighbour pours himself a beer; a shepherd asks about the sheep. The village breathes in that slow, familiar rhythm: open doors, easy greetings, a sense of community that needs no written rules.
Mireia leads me to her organic garden, where giant pumpkins, cabbages, celery, onions and red amaranth flowers grow. She participates in Senterada Comestible, an agroecological project to recover traditional varieties and edible wild plants. ‘I feed the soil with organic waste and cover it with dry grass. The worms do the work for me,’ she says, picking a Popa de Vaca tomato, a local variety.
Every morning at eight, Casa Leonardo becomes the heart of Senterada. Neighbours arrive, talk about the harvest, discuss the news and the latest Barça match. The postman delivers letters directly to the table, where plates of tomatoes, peppers and chillies appear. ‘They bring them from their own gardens,’ Mireia explains, as she serves an authentic country breakfast: bread with tomato, white and black sausage, oil and garlic; eggs, coffee and wine and cava. ‘Everyone has had the same place at the table for years.’
One of the locals notices my curiosity and invites me over. He hands me the wine jug and asks, ‘Do you know how to use it?’ I grab it by the top handle, raise it above my mouth and let the thin stream fall in. I cut it with a twist of the wrist, just as my grandfather taught me – yet I still splash my face and shirt. Laughter. ‘Here, breakfast is a social event,’ says Mireia. ‘And that’s part of our heritage.’
A few kilometres away, on the outskirts of La Pobla de Bellvei, another story pulses. Bells announce the arrival of 2,500 sheep coming down from their summer pastures. Three generations of shepherds – grandfather, father, sons and grandsons – set up the pen where the flock will spend the night. Ramón de Soli, 65, retired on paper but incapable of giving up the trade, looks skyward. ‘Some people walk their dogs,’ he jokes. ‘I walk my sheep.’
‘From San Pedro to San Miguel, the flocks graze on communal land. Only one shepherd spends the whole summer with them,’ Ramón tells me. ‘In my father’s village, there were 23 flocks when I was a child,’ he says. ‘Now there are none.’ As evening falls, the xisqueta sheep, a native Catalan breed, descend the mountain path. Thousands of animals become a single, flowing river. Sheep bleat, shepherds shout, dogs bark, the sky turns orange. When the last one enters the pen, the night smells of wool and damp earth.
That same night, Mireia serves Girella for dinner – bread, rice, garlic, parsley and lamb – along with Tupí cheese and honey. Recipes from shepherds and farmers who learned to waste nothing. ‘Poor people’s cuisine,’ she says proudly, ‘but full of wisdom.’
In 2009, Mireia created Cinquè Llac (The Fifth Lake), a circular route linking five lakes and rural lodgings. The idea: arrive by train on the Tren dels Llacs ((Lake's Train), walk slowly and reach Lake Montcortès, one of the few karst lakes in the Pyrenees. ‘We wanted people to connect with nature and traditions. It’s a slow journey, but one with meaning.’
Seventy-five percent of hikers come from northern Europe. They want authenticity: to meet people, learn culture, experience places. ‘They don’t collect photos; they collect experiences,’ Mireia says. They care for nature, support the community, and offset the carbon footprint of their trips. To help, Mireia created Gratitud Pallars, which reinvests donations in local projects. ‘This is tourism that has a future,’ she says. ‘The only kind that can survive.’
The Cinquè Llac is a sustainable, circular mid-mountain route linking Pallars and Alta Ribagorça across five scenic stages. Walk it your way — original, slow, by mountain bike, guided or tailor-made. Your luggage travels ahead, so you can move lightly, meet locals, and let the landscape set the rhythm of your journey.
We know where to go. We know the best places to stay. And we know the local partners who turn a trip into something unforgettable. That’s why when we design your journey, it isn’t just a holiday. It’s a story you’ll carry for life.
Our mission is simple: to inspire you to explore the world with curiosity, optimism, enthusiasm, and respect. To connect with cultures, to marvel at breathtaking landscapes, and to embrace the beauty of untamed nature.
So, tell us — what once-in-a-lifetime adventure may we design for you?
The Gratitude Project gives back to the land that gives us so much. Through hands-on initiatives that support nature conservation and safeguard cultural heritage, it strengthens the bond between locals, visitors and the landscapes they share. Join the effort, contribute directly to the region, and help keep Pallars’ wild beauty thriving for generations.
We know where to go. We know the best places to stay. And we know the local partners who turn a trip into something unforgettable. That’s why when we design your journey, it isn’t just a holiday. It’s a story you’ll carry for life.
Our mission is simple: to inspire you to explore the world with curiosity, optimism, enthusiasm, and respect. To connect with cultures, to marvel at breathtaking landscapes, and to embrace the beauty of untamed nature.
So, tell us — what once-in-a-lifetime adventure may we design for you?
‘If the donkey disappears, a culture disappears,’ says Lluís Piqué, head of Explorer Donkey, as he strokes Robelló, a Catalan donkey ready to accompany two Australian hikers on a stage of the Cinquè Llac. Lluís speaks with conviction and tenderness: ‘The Catalan donkey is endangered. And we can’t let that happen – they are the rural soul of Catalonia.’
At Casa Leonardo’s door, Robelló draws curious looks. Marta, Lluís’ daughter and occasional guide, gives instructions to Louise and Cameron. Louise strokes the donkey. ‘I saw a film about a woman travelling with her donkey and thought: I want to do that.’ Robelló, however, has his own priorities: every blade of grass is an irresistible temptation. ‘If you let him, he’ll stop all the time,’ Marta warns. On steep terrain, she adds, it’s better to let him go: ‘He knows where to tread far better than we do.’
The trail winds through beech and oak forest. It smells of rosemary and damp earth. Marta shows tracks: roe deer, wild boar, marten. Higher up, the forest opens and the view stretches toward Vall Fosca, with La Pobleta and Beranui in the distance. The mountain unfolds like an endless series of pleats. After a bend, Lake Montcortès appears – a karstic mirror ringed with meadows, horses trotting towards Robelló. Louise laughs at the donkey’s independently swivelling ears. Cameron jokes: ‘Like kangaroos!’
Casa Leonardo has become a small rural hub – a meeting place, a voice and a refuge. On the morning of our departure, Mireia sums up her philosophy: ‘I travelled when I was young, and that taught me to value my homeland. Travelling opens your mind. The most important journey is the one that brings you home.’ It is eight in the morning; local farmers return to their seats at the table. The day begins just like yesterday, just like decades ago. Life in Senterada continues, unhurried, untouched.
Step inside Casa Leonardo, the welcoming house of Mireia Font, and admire every detail. Each one has its own charm and character, designed to make you feel at home among the curiosities of an old townhouse. Enjoy unique experiences that draw you into local daily life while helping preserve natural and cultural heritage.
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