El Pinyol d’Oliva is in the Roussillon where the Pyrenees meet the Mediterranean. This little piece of paradise is blessed with spectacular scenery and a very favourable micro-climate. This makes it an ideal year-round holiday destination.

The variety of landscapes is mirrored by the range of activities that are available here. Snowy mountains in winter offer skiing, snow shoeing and hill walking. The snow melts to reveal carpets of wild flowers, and lower down the scented maquis. There are thermal baths to pamper aching muscles, streams to canyon down and pools in which to swim among the trout. They flow down through vineyards producing fine wines and branch out into an intricate lacework of irrigation canals which give life to the orchards, olive groves and vegetables grown here. These form the basis of a delicious cuisine. A sweep of coast, from the Cathar castle-studded Corbieres, past the etangs filled with oysters and flamingos, sandy beaches and the rocky end of the Pyrenees, takes you down into Spain.

Picturesque villages with beautiful architecture dot the landscape. Romanesque churches are frequently used for concerts, including the famous Pablo Casals Festival. The area has drawn other musicians and painters to it: fortunately the Fauvists left a few paintings in the Museum of Modern art in Ceret as well as signing the tablecloths in Les Templiers in Collioure. Dali, who’s museum is a hop across the border into Spain, thought that Perpignan was the centre of the world. Order a pastis at a platane covered café there and come to your own conclusion…