Palalda – come on over to Dan’s place
Originally named Paladdanum meaning ‘Dan’s Palace’, this pretty medieval pedestrian-only village has bar, 10th century church with swirlingly decorated door (once to protect church from axe attacks!) and a sprinkling of artists/craftspeople, all of which may or may not be open depending on the day and time of year so check ahead with the Amélie Tourist Office.
And don’t miss the Musée Al Casal which features displays on local history, a changing art exhibition space, and a permanent exhibition of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. All can be found in the castle complex which includes the church, the Mairie annexe and two watch towers.
The cobbled village with its labyrinth of narrow streets is delightful.
Fête du Rosaire
Every October, Palalda’s ‘Chapelle du Rosaire‘ celebrates the Fête du Rosaire with a programme of songs, traditional dancing, prayers and concerts.
In 1571 Christian troops provided by the Vatican overcame a Turkish armada in the entrance to the Corinth gulf.
The Pope at the time, Grégoire XIII, attributed this victory to the daily processions of St Rosaire brotherhoods who promoted the rosary in the streets of Rome.
He promptly changed his planned ’Victory Day’ to ’St Rosaire day’, to be celebrated on the 7th October.
The celebration continues to this day, with special masses held in St Rosaire sanctuaries all over the world.
Hello, We have recently purchased a property in Amelie les Bains Palalda for holiday use by ourselves, members of our family and possibly some close friends. Amazingly I saw the property online and then my husband and son-in-law came out in October 2022 and immediately fell in love with the property and put in an immediate offer, all over the space of a weekend! My first visit was in March of this year, and I was a little wary at first, not having seen the property in person, but I have have just returned from my second visit and am now in love with Palalda. Obviously it was very quiet in March, and quite chilly!! Palalda is a real community with a very friendly and helpful vibe – I could quite happily live here permanently! Over the course of 2 visits I have already made some good friends, who are trustworthy and reliable.
Fortunately we also know some people who live close to Arles-sur-Tech, so that is also helpful but it is so good to know that we have made friends in the immediate vicinity which is so important. On our last visit we had to drive down from Calais, which was a very long and tiring journey. This was because we had various items to transport over but on future visits we will be flying over to either Perpignan or Girona.
The local bar/restaurant in Palalda is excellent “Cafe des Sports” and the view from the restaurant is exceptional, nice food and lovely owner too. The views from our house are exceptional too. I would also like to say that the previous owners of our new holiday home left the property in immaculate condition and we didn’t have to do anything, ready to move into straightaway.
Palalda is a very serene and quiet community, it is a pedestrianised village so a good way to keep fit, lots of uphill and downhill walking, but the friendliness and neighbourliness is so lovely in itself and something that, sadly, is lacking in the UK and England today. I look forward to my next visit and hopefully visiting the beautiful beaches that are nearby.
Best wishes,
Lynne