Deep in Catalonia's Pyrenees sits a valley that packs in more UNESCO-listed culture than some entire countries. The Vall de Boí holds the densest concentration of Romanesque churches anywhere in the world — nine of them, built over nine centuries ago, still standing in the small mountain villages where they first went up. Together they earned the whole valley World Heritage status.

That's the starting point for a recent episode of Wanderlust's Off the Page podcast, in which host Aaron Millar explores the valley with David Pociello of the Centre del Romànic de la Vall de Boí and Xavier Llimiñana from Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. Their central point is a persuasive one: here, the architecture and the mountains aren't separate attractions. The churches, hamlets and farming traditions grew out of this exact terrain, and seeing one deepens the other.

What makes the valley unusual is that its heritage is still alive. The villages aren't museum pieces — festivals, farming rhythms and a distinct Catalan mountain identity continue to be passed down. The most dramatic example is the Baixada de Falles, held every summer solstice, when villagers carry flaming torches down the mountainsides into the villages below. That fire ritual has its own spot on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, and it's hard to think of a better single night to be in the valley.

Then there's the wild side. Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, Catalonia's only national park, borders the valley and offers more than 200 lakes and peaks pushing past 3,000 metres, plus rich wildlife and plant life. A highlight for serious walkers: you can traverse the entire park via a multi-day route sleeping in mountain refuges — one of Spain's least-known but most spectacular long-distance treks. And because most visitors to the Pyrenees come purely for hiking, the cultural layer here feels genuinely underexplored, even in peak season.

For travellers, the combination is the appeal. Few places in Europe let you spend a morning inside a thousand-year-old church and an afternoon walking above the treeline, then finish with a village festival that hasn't changed in centuries. It suits hikers who want depth beyond the trail, culture-lovers who don't mind earning their views, and anyone tired of Spain's busier heritage circuits. Useful contacts for planning include visitpirineus.com for the wider region, centreromanic.com for the churches, and spain.info for the national park. The episode itself was produced by Armchair Productions, with Lyn Hughes and Laura Field introducing.

This story is based on the Wanderlust: Off the Page podcast from Wanderlust.