We celebrated our second anniversary with a great success of participation in all the activities and with a high turnout at the mountain fair-market.
"Again, one of the aspects that our visitors have valued the most has been the discovery of the old town of Arinsal", said the minister for Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability, Sergi Gueimonde.
On the other hand, one of the strong points is that local producers have had the opportunity to directly explain the characteristics of their products to visitors. "Each time the public values artisanal and local products more. From the Comú de la Massana we want to contribute to their promotion, giving them spaces like the Pitavola, so that they can sell their products but also so that they can be known", says Gueimonde. Among the visitors there was a lot of local public but also tourists who walked around the stalls and took part in the guided tours and workshops.
The perception of the stallholders is that, as far as tourists are concerned, the French public is the one most looking for the authenticity of artisanal products, even though there are more and more Spaniards who value these items. On the other hand, they are very satisfied with the good reception their products have among the Andorran public, who have come from all the parishes. In general, the managers of the different stands (who are the same producers) make a good assessment of the sales they have made although they differ on the peak point of sales which would be between Friday afternoon and midday on Saturday and Sunday. Of course, they agree that the attendance has been good during the three days of the fair.
As for the activities, the guided tours have been very popular, especially the mushroom and stargazing tours. The workshops were full throughout the weekend and the wooden spoon making workshop was very popular. The Esbart Valls del Nord exhibition and the theatrical visit to the market also received a lot of public attention.
Gastronomy is also an important part of Pitavola. The restaurants in Arinsal have been full throughout the weekend, both for the Ruta de la Tapa and for the special menus.
In addition, a new sculpture by the artist Jordi Illamola of Forjats Lif, with the technique of traditional forging and sculpture, has been inaugurated as part of the anniversary. This year, the lent work is a serenella about 90 cm long. The body is made of corten steel, the skin and eyes are made of stainless steel to simulate the reflections and mimic the real animal as much as possible. Last year's butterfly played with the gaps, here, as it is a flat work, the smith has worked more with the materials to have more play with shades and colors. Illamola spent more than 40 hours creating the piece, which he started with the skeleton. He claims that the legs have been the most difficult to reproduce, that the fingers and claws must be long to square with reality and that this part has been the most complicated. The aim of the organization is to provide the village of Arinsal with a characteristic sculpture for each anniversary.
As Councilor Gueimonde has stated, the Pitavola has been possible thanks to the involvement of local producers, the restaurateurs of Arinsal and also the people of the town.
La Pitavola has closed its doors with the desire to continue improving. For this reason, the next edition will have more novelties, depending on the contributions of the participants.
