Hermitage of La Pertusa, Lleida province, Spain

A hermitage with a view

Perched precariously above the Canelles reservoir, separating the regions of Catalonia and Aragon in Spain, are the remains of the medieval Hermitage of La Pertusa. The Montsec mountain range provides a stunning backdrop for the ruins, which are surrounded by sheer vertical drops to the reservoir basin. Visiting this spot in real life would mean crossing a steep, rocky trail to the narrow outcrop that hosts the hermitage, once the chapel of a long-collapsed Romanesque castle. But imagine the reward: a vista of the beauty Catalonia offers beyond busy Barcelona.