History of Can Cateura
Our story: A legacy that has been beating since 1853
Can Cateura is a farmhouse with a rich past, a genuine example of Catalan architecture with stone arches on the ground floor. This building was a central place for the daily life and agricultural activities of the family who lived there.
Where the past meets the present
The very spacious entrance that welcomes you today was formerly the passage for carts and livestock, where on the right-hand side were the various outbuildings: the livestock yards and the cellar.
On the left-hand side was the kitchen or the living room, where you could still see… preserve the original stone basin and a large fireplace with a bread oven.
The kitchen was where most of life took place; apart from meals, it was where bread was kneaded and baked among pots, pans and casseroles.
In winter, when the days were short and cold, the farmhouse family would gather to sew and have a good natter.
Upstairs, in the large hall, was where the family was received on special occasions such as births, weddings or major festivals.
From the vineyard to the cereal: the effort of generations
The landscape surrounding Can Cateura has changed with the cycles of life. In the past, it was made up of fields and vineyards; wine was the main attraction; even today, at the entrance you can see through a pane of glass the old one. winepress, where the grapes were trodden to extract the wine that filled the casks and which would then be taken to the cellar.
The family had two main sources of income; one was the cultivation of cereals and pulses, for it was in summer that the gangs (neighbours from around) helped with the threshing, threshing the wheat, barley, oats, etc., and a month after it had been cut, the forks, rollers or threshing sledges were indispensable to do the job properly and quickly.
Grandfather Rosendo and Father Joseph
On the other hand, sheep farming marked a fundamental stage in our history. It all began when Grandfather Rosendo (we have him pictured in two frames as you climb the stairs) bought a few sheep and goats and built them a corral with the help of Father Josep, and the family's vineyards were converted to growing cereals and fodder crops.
He used to graze them and gather food for the winter; they grazed for many years until my father retired.
Today, the rooms at Can Cateura bear names that recall this rich and diverse past. We invite you to enjoy this unique farmhouse, where every stone and every corner preserves the memory of a life lived with love.
