In Taradell, Twelfth Night has a special smell. The scent of barballó, as they call lavender in this town in Osona, fills the streets with magic when it burns in the torches carried by young and old to welcome The Three Kings. This tradition has been deeply rooted in the city for centuries, in memory of a time when wild barballó grew in abundance. However, the abandonment of the countryside has made it increasingly difficult to find and so the custom has been lost. To reverse this situation, the Taradell Town Council promoted the Parc de les Olors, an initiative that combines nature, culture, sustainability and tradition.
A sensory experience that encompasses the entire town
Unlike a traditional park, the Parc de les Olors de Taradell is not limited to a single space, but is spread over several places in the town and its surroundings. An urban and rural itinerary is thereby created that allows you to discover historical elements such as the Torre d'en Carles, the hermitage of Santa Llúcia and the Font Gran, as well as beautiful lavender fields and aromatic gardens.
In every corner of the town, the landscaped areas are radiant with hundreds of aromatic plants, especially lavender. But the epicentre of the park is Can Just, which houses workshops for all ages and is the meeting point for guided tours organized to visit and learn about the whole complex. A garden that can be visited here houses aromatic and medicinal species, while in the Agrobotiga you can find natural products made from these plants, such as perfumes, teas, soaps and traditional barballó torches.
Meanwhile, culinary plants such as chives, basil and arugula are the protagonists of the l'Arpa Art School Garden, as well as the activities that take place there such as cooking workshops.
The route can end in the fields of lavender that surround Taradell. The resulting landscape is impressive and the more than 10,000 plants make it possible to obtain essential oil and the material necessary to make the town’s typical barballó torches.
Activities that link nature, tradition and sustainability
In addition to touring the park on your own, the park offers guided tours for groups, ideal for families or friends. But, above all, it is a space for experiences, to immerse oneself in the world of aromatic and medicinal plants. From workshops on natural remedies and cosmetics to the creation of perfumes, massage oils, teas, ratafia or gin & tonics to the creation of an insect hotel, each session combines fun and experimentation with learning and ends with an aromatic snack, where participants learn recipes that they can try out at home. There is also the option of organizing customized workshops for groups, adapted to any age or special need.
Enjoying a day outdoors, learning about aromatic, culinary and medicinal plants, and even creating a product from scratch with your own hands is the proposal offered by the Parc de les Olors de Taradell, an initiative that promotes the recovery of native flora and creates a richer and healthier landscape in which the aromas guide us through an unforgettable sensory journey.
