MORELLA

View of Morella at night

The first time I arrived in Morella was in the late 1960's. Around 9.30 at night the streets were completely deserted and there was not a light to be seen anywhere; not even a street lamp. Then, to the left, my friend spotted what was a single dim lamp that shone on a sign indicating the, Hotel Cardinal Ram.

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A very austere place, at that time, but with comfortable beds, a reasonable dinner and continental breakfast. The price, in total, for the two of us, around 5 Euros. Yes just 5 Euros. A small tip was offered but refused saying that we had paid sufficient! A short wander around the town made me think that this place was, indeed, going to be a place of importance in the future and certainly a favourite of mine.

Although slightly, by a short distance only, Morella is not part of the Maestrazgo however nowadays it can claim to be a bustling historic centre. The Cardinal Ram still remains my favourite hotel even though several others have sprung up. As for the shops the main street is a full of small and large establishments with just about anything in the way of produce from the region.

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Honey, cheeses, hams, wine, olive oil, just about everything including artisan woven shawls and jackets. It is all there together with a large block of history in the form of the Carlist wars and Ramon Cabrera. Sadly suffering with depopulation like many other places it originally had over 7.000 inhabitants at the beginning of the last century but now it has been reduced to 2.500 person. However with Morella's forceful push into modern tourism there is certainly hope for the future.

Oficial Page (Spanish)

History of Morella (View this link)
Local Tourist App for Phone