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Demography and geography

Vilafranca del Penedès

Located 223 m above sea level, in the middle of the Penedès depression and flanked by the Garraf massif and the Serralada Prelitoral, Vilafranca enjoys an environment of gentle undulations covered with vines. The term has 19.6 km² and is bordered by Cabanyes and Granada to the north, Sant Cugat Sesgarrigues and Olèrdola to the east, Santa Margarida and los Monjos to the south and Sant Martí Sarroca and Pacs del Penedès to the west. The plain is only interrupted by small hills, such as Puig de Sant Pau (302 m) or Puig de Sant Jaume (296 m), which offer exceptional viewpoints over the green ocean of vines.

The city is located in a natural passage of communications: in Roman times the Via Augusta passed through it; since 1865 the Martorell-Tarragona railway line runs through it, and today the N-340, the AP-7 and the C-15 converge. This location has fostered its commercial function from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The climate is typically Mediterranean, with mild winters (average 7°C in January) and hot but moderate summers (23°C on average in July). The annual rainfall is around 550-575 mm, with peaks in autumn (October: 79.8 mm) and a marked summer drought — only 17.9 mm in July. These conditions, together with clay-limestone soils and the marinade rising from the coast, are ideal for the cultivation of the vine and explain the long local winemaking tradition.

Demographically, Vilafranca has gone from 11,177 inhabitants in 1950 to 38,218 in 2010 and 42,607 in 2025, according to Idescat. The main town concentrates the vast majority of the population, but the term includes small entities such as Pere Pau (135 inhabitants), the Molí d'en Rovira disgregat (103), Cal Salines (47) or the Bordellet (21). The density exceeds 2,170 inhabitants/km², typical of a compact city but still on a human scale.

The agroforestry mosaic is completed by intermittent torrents and the Sant Cugat stream, while biodiversity penetrates through the nearby areas of Foix and Garraf. The sea breezes temper the summer and the winter cold, making the Penedès a friendly territory for both the neighborhood and the vineyards.