The town of Rialp (El Pallars Sobirà) owes its origins to its Castle which was originally used as a vantage point for monitoring the pass leading to the Vall d’Àssua and the valleys of Alt Pallars. The “castle” was originally little more than a lookout tower or outpost of the Castle of Surp. The town of Rialp, which had once been enclosed, still maintains much of its original structure, based on the houses that used to close off the town and protect it.
With the passing of time, the town of Rialp became a centre famed for artisans and craftsmen chair makers, tailors, tinsmiths, musicians, saddlers, farmers, carpenters, etc. In fact, this tradition of attracting tradesmen continued until the 1970s. Today, however, the main activity of the town is based around tourism and the provision of services: particularly serving the needs of the nearby Gran Pallars Port-Ainé ski resort. This is a place you really must visit!
 

What to visit

Rialp The central nucleus of Rialp (El Pallars Sobirà), largely owes its layout to the medieval period. It is interesting to visit the hidden corners of this town, which still conserve reminders of its history, including some secrets that remain relatively unknown to many of its inhabitants.

The Carrer del Mig (central street) of Rialp still conserves its original medieval structure of porched streets. Although the original structures have been subjected to numerous modifications in the course of the centuries, this street still maintains all of its antique charm and has little corners that are full of history.

Rialp Further along Carrer del Mig, visitors will come to a square dominated by the Church of Ntra. Senyora de Valldeflors. The building contains the image of Nostra Senyora de Vall de Flors (Our Lady of the valley of flowers), a gothic-style sculpture of great quality. Every year, this sculpture presides over the town’s incomparable showpiece; Festival de Música de la Vila de Rialp (Rialp Music Festival).

Continuing up Carrer de la Costa, from the church square, visitors will reach the Castle of Rialp, from where they will be able to enjoy a fine view of the walled part of Rialp and indeed of the whole municipal district. This is also the starting point of the route that retraces the age-old path that leads to the nucleus of Surp.

Rialp Heading down from the Castle, and continuing along Carrer de la Costa, visitors will come to the Boteral de Rialp. This is the place where the livestock of the settlement used to be brought together and used to provide the force required to operate the old Molí de Bellera (Bellera Mill). It was also the place where cattle were kept at there is still a watering trough to remind people of this. From this point, there is another footpath that leads out to the kitchen gardens that lie to the north of the town. This is also the starting point of the route that follows the old path leading to the main centre Rialp, to the Mola de Sall (grindstone of Sall) and to the villages of Altron and Sorre, which lie in the middle of the Vall d’Àssua.

Rialp Outside the walled part of the town, visitors will find the Calle del Raval, which was the first street to be built outside the walls of Rialp. At the beginning of this street, they will find the recently restored Church of the Patron Saints Saint Cosme and Saint Damià. This church only opens in order to celebrate the day dedicated to the patron saints of Rialp and to dedicate masses and prayers to their memory.

Rialp The Raval de Rialp is another area that contains some of the oldest buildings in the town. This used to be the area where the artisans and craftsmen concentrated: the tinsmith, saddler, tailor and chair maker, etc. Further down the street, it would once have been possible to find the old oven of the famed potter Joan Alart, who was the master potter of the comarca (local district). There were two particularly famous potteries in this area; one was in Gerri de la Sal and the other was in Rialp. The former definitively closed its oven after the Spanish Civil War, while the latter remained operative until about 1962. It is now possible to obtain reproductions of many traditional items of pottery, including pitchers, plates, soup dishes, trays, colanders, cheese dishes, etc. These are available at the Ecomuseum of the Valls d'Àneu.

Nature ideas

Rialp has become the southern gateway to the Alt Pirineu (High Pyrenees) Natural Park and is also soon to form part of the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, thanks to the forthcoming inclusion of the mountains that lie in the municipal district of Caregue.

It is therefore possible to enjoy some fabulous trekking routes that follow the age-old footpaths that run through the local district. These include the pathways leading to the Vall d'Àssua, the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and the Alt Pirineu Natural Park.

Other features of interest

Rialp Another important attraction in the same municipal district, which also deserves highlighting, is the Lombard Romanesque style Església de Surp (which is dedicated to Saint Iscle and Saint Victòria).

Rialp The parish church of Surp is dedicated to the sibling martyrs Saint Iscle and Saint Victòria. The present building is Romanesque in origin, but has since undergone several modifications. It has a raised belfry with a square floor plan and twin windows and has a beautiful apse decorated with Lombard bands (blind decorative arcades). The apse had once been decorated with mural paintings, but these were unfortunately later removed and redistributed. Some of them can now be seen in the Diocesan Museum of La Seu d'Urgell (which has the largest fragment of the decoration from the apse), the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (National Museum of Catalonia) or MNAC (which contains a fragment showing the apostle John standing under an arcade and holding a book) and (the rest) in the USA, in the Art Museum of Toledo, Ohio (a fragment showing the apostles James and Phillip).