Casa Maltesa, a 19th-century Catalan village house in the Penedès wine region

A 19th-Century Village House in Catalonia Inspired by the Maltese Cross

The house takes its name from a small hand-carved lattice on the second staircase, shaped as the Maltese Cross, a symbol of hospitality carried across the Mediterranean by the Knights Hospitallers from the 12th century, found adorning churches and houses, noble and rustic, from Sicily to Catalonia. The Order of Malta established itself here in the 14th century, with a mission at Vilafranca and historic connections to the Benedictine monastery at Sant Sebastià dels Gorgs, 30 minutes on foot through rolling vineyard country. Nudeinterior's restoration preserves all of this, while bringing a contemporary ease to the interior.

Hand-fired terracotta floors run through the ground level. Cedar beams cross the ceilings overhead. The kitchen is light-soaked and fully equipped, the kind of room that makes cooking feel like part of the holiday. The vaulted wine cellar is the oldest presence in the house. A fireplace anchors the living room. A work area with Wi-Fi sits to the side, for those who need it. Towels, bed linen, and bathroom amenities are included throughout.

The private indoor patio is open to natural light and proportioned for a dining table that seats six comfortably. It's the room the house turns toward in warm weather for morning coffee, a long lunch, a glass of the hosts' own wine in the late afternoon.

What we love

Hand-fired terracotta floors, cedar beams, a vaulted wine cellar, and on the second staircase, a small carved lattice in the shape of a Maltese Cross that gives the house its name. If you feel like venturing out, Casa Nova in Sant Martí Sarroca is 15 minutes away. Chef Andrés Torres holds a Michelin Star and a Green Star, and the tasting menu arrives on ceramics made in the restaurant's own workshop. The winery next door has been in the hosts' family for 10 generations. They are organic, biodynamic, and happen to be your neighbors for the week. Barcelona is 40 minutes away.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in Sant Cugat Sesgarrigues, Alt Penedès, sleeps up to six guests. The house unfolds vertically, as Catalan village houses do. Enter through the original wooden doors, go up a low staircase to the kitchen and living room on the first floor, then up again to the three double bedrooms and two full bathrooms. The vaulted wine cellar sits below ground level. The private patio is accessed from the ground floor.

Experiences

There is a range of on-site experiences, bookable through the hosts. These include private visits and tastings at the family's organic and biodynamic winery, which adjoins the property, private chef dinners with wine pairing, cooking classes, cycling routes through vineyards and forest, and a welcome food pack on arrival.

Good to know

A car is needed as the house sits in a small village without public transport, though motorway access places Barcelona, Sitges, and the wider Penedès easily within reach. The hosts live locally and manage both properties personally. Additional services including private chefs, transport, massages, yoga, and photography sessions are available on request.

Amenities & services

Air conditioning, heating, fully equipped kitchen, light-soaked kitchen garden, vaulted wine cellar, private indoor patio with outdoor dining, living room with fireplace, work area, wi-fi, towels and bed linen, bathroom amenities, local recommendations, house essentials. On request: private chef, wine pairing dinners, winery visits and tastings, cooking experiences, welcome food pack, transport, massages and yoga.

Around

The Penedès is one of Catalonia's oldest wine regions, a broad, sun-lit plain between Barcelona and the coast, shaped for centuries by Xarel·lo viticulture and Cava production. Vilafranca del Penedès, 10 minutes away, holds VINSEUM, the regional wine museum set inside a Royal Palace, and El Cigró d'Or, which carries a Michelin Bib Gourmand for its grounded Catalan regional cooking. Fifteen minutes in the other direction, Casa Nova in Sant Martí Sarroca earned the Penedès its first Michelin Star in 2025. Chef Andrés Torres runs a tasting menu rooted in the land, from a restored farmhouse estate with its own kitchen garden, vineyard, and ceramics workshop. The Benedictine monastery of Sant Sebastià dels Gorgs is a 30-minute walk through open vineyard country, with Montserrat on the horizon. Barcelona is 40 minutes by car. Sitges and the coast are 25 minutes.