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Extremadura is aptly named. This land of extremes,
bordering Portugal at Spain’s furthest
western limit, is boiling in summer and bitingly cold in
winter.
It’s mostly broad, sparsely populated tableland. Geometrical
patterns of wheat fields andgrasslands roll to the horizon, their
summer beige and fawn contrasting with the green of oak,cork and
olive trees. Here storks plane against the evening sky or lord it
from their higgledy-piggledy twig nests, piled atop church towers,
pinnacles – anywhere small, flat and high.
Wooded sierras rise up along the region’s northern, eastern and
southern fringes. Thenorth in particular has a sequence of
beautiful ranges and green valleys dotted with villagesfull of
character. Two of Spain’s major rivers, the Tajo and the Guadiana,
cross Extremadurafrom east to west. The craggy Parque Nacional
Monfragüe, straddling the Tajo betweenPlasencia and Trujillo, has
some of Spain’s most spectacular bird life.
Reconquered from the Muslims in the 13th century, the land was
handed to knights whoturned it into one great sheep pen. Those who
did not work the land often had only onechoice – migration. Small
wonder that many 16th-century conquistadors, including Pizarroand
Cortés, sprang from this land. The riches they brought back from
the Americas arereflected in the lavish mansions they
constructed.
Long before Pizarro and Cortés, the Romans flourished in the
city of Mérida, and plentyof evidence of this remains. The urban
splendour continues in the old centre of Cáceres,while on a smaller
scale towns such as Trujillo and Guadalupe are enchanting.
Extremadura
NORTHERNEXTREMADURAThe western reaches of the Cordillera
Centralarch around Plasencia from the Sierra de Gre-dos in the east
to the Sierra de Gata in the west.In the northeast are three
valleys: La Vera,Valle del Jerte and Valle del Ambroz. Wateredby
mountain streams and dotted with ancient
villages, they offer a good network of places tostay and
some fine walking routes.
The once remote Las Hurdes region inthe northernmost tip of
Extremadura has aharsh beauty, while the Sierra de Gata in
thenorthwest is pretty and more fertile.
LA VERAFertile La Vera, on the northern side of RíoTiétar
valley, produces raspberries, aspara-gus, figs and, above all,
paprika (pimentón), sold in old-fashioned tins and locally
calledoro rojo (red gold). Here too grows 80%of Spain’s
tobacco (look out for the brickdrying sheds with their honeycombs
of air
vents). Much of the country’s tobacco cropis subsidised by
the EU, though Brussels’support for the cultivation of
somethingwith proven health risks is increasingly chal-lenged.
Typical too of La Vera are half-timberedhouses leaning at odd
angles, their overhang-ing upper storeys supported by timber
orstone pillars.
HIGHLIGHTS
Prowl Ciudad Monumental’s cobbled streets
inCáceres(p819)
Spot majestic birds of prey as they wheel overthe
Parque Nacional Monfragüe(p818)
Explore Spain’s finest Roman ruins
inMérida (p830)
Travel toTrujillo (p824), home town of some
ofLatin America’s most (in)famous conquistadors
Walk the Ruta del Emperador, following thetraces of
Carlos I’s last journey to tranquilMonasterio de Yuste at La
Vera (p810)
Wander among white buildings in the southerntown of
Zafra (p836)
Trujillo
Zafra
Mérida
Cáceres
MonfragüeParque Nacional
La Vera
Calvitero (2401m)
Valenciade Alcántara
Villanueva dela Fresno
Rosalde la
Frontera
Monesterio
SantaOlalla del Cala
Fregenalde la Sierra
Villafrancade los Barros
Jerez delos Caballeros
Oliva de laFrontera
Santa Martade los Barros
Burguillosdel Cerro
Valle deMatamoros
Villagarcíade la Torre
Calzadillade Los Barros
Higuerala Real
Barcarrota
Torremegía
La Albuera
Miajadas
AzuagaBélmez
Alcaracejos
Medellin
Ahillones
Valdivia
Aldea del Cano
Herreruela
Aliseda
Cañaveral
Malpartidade Cáceres
Salorino
Béjar
Cabezueladel Valle
Baños deMontemayor
JerteTornavacas
Aldeanuevadel Camino
El Barcode Ávila
Becedas Piedrahita
Mombeltran
Cuevasdel Valle
Trujillo
La Nava deRicomalillo
Herreradel Duque
NavaconcejoEscalona
Alcaudetede la Jara
El TiembloEl Barraco
San Martínde Valdeiglesias
Almorox
Almadén
El Viso
Puebla de DonRodrigo
SantaEufemia
Fuencaliente
La Alberca
Candelario
Hervás
Vegasde Coria
Galisteo
Santibáñezel Alto
Gata
Torre deDon Miguel
Hoyos
Valverdedel Fresno
Coria
Moraleja
Penamacor
Navarr edondade Gredos
Jarandillade la Vera
Candeleda
Brozas
Alcántara
Albuquerque
Cabezadel BueyCastuera
Campanário
LlerenaFuentede Cantos Fuente
Obejuna
Guadalcanal
Castilblanco
Malpartida dePlasencia
Villanuevade la
Serena
Navalvillar de Pela
Puerto de SVincente
El Puentedel Arzobispo
Villarreal deSan Carlos
Torrejón elRubio
Montánchez
Olivenza
CañameroBerzocana Guadalupe
Jaraíz dela Vera
San Martínde Trebejo
Elvas
Zafra
Almendralejo
Don Benito
Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo
Plasencia
Navalmoralde la Mata
Arenas deSan Pedro
Arroyo de la LuzCasar de Cáceres
Pozoblanco
Cazallade la Sierra
Badajoz
Cáceres
Talavera dela Reina
Mérida
CasteloBranco
Portalegre
SALAMANCA
CÓRDOBA
MADRID
CÁCERES
ÁVILA
CIUDADREAL
TOLEDO
BADAJOZ
SEVILLAHUELVA
Embalse
del Zujar
Embalse deOrellana
Embalse de Garcia de Sola
Embalse de Cijara
Embalse de Alcántara
Embalse de Gabriel
Y Galan
Embalse de Bembézar
Embalse de Puente
Nuevo
Embalse de Villar del Rey
S i e r r a M
orena
S i e r r a d
e Gat a
Las Hurde s
R í o
Z a p
a t o n
R í o
Z
u j a r
R í o
A l a g o n
R í o T i é
t a r
R í o B e m b e z a r
R í o
G u a d i a n
a
R í o G u a d i a n a
R í o
T a j o
R í o
T a j o
R í o
A l b e
r c h e
Parque Nacionalde Monfragüe
C515
N110
A5
N521
A5
A4
N432
N433 A66
A66
A66
EX205
EX108
EX117
EX110EX100
EX107
C500
N432
EX118
EX102
EX102
S i e r r a
d e G u
a d a l u p
e
Sierra de
Gredos
PORTUGAL
EXTREMADURA 0 50 km0 30 miles
AREA: 41,634 SQ KM AVE SUMMER TEMP: HIGH
38°C, POP: 1.084 MILLION LOW 26°C
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lonelyplanet.com
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lonelyplanet.com N O R T H E R N E X T RE M A D U R A • • L a Ve
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InformationAsociación deTurismo dela Vera(www.aturive.com in
Spanish) Useful website for the valley, with tips on
walks, villages and accommodation.Comarca dela
Vera(www.comarcadelavera.com)Another useful regional
website.Tourist office(% 927 17 05 87; Avenida de la Con-stitución
167, Jaraíz de la Vera; h 9.30am-2pm & 5-7pmMon-Fri, 10am-2pm
Sat & Sun) If you’re here to hike, askfor its useful walking
brochure describing signed walks inand around the valley.Tourist
office(% 927 56 04 60; www.jarandilla.com inSpanish; Plaza de la
Constitución 1, Jarandilla de la Vera;h 10am-2pm & 4-6pm
Tue-Sun)
Sights & ActivitiesCuacosdeYuste, 45km northeast of
Plasencia, is
rich in typical La Vera half-timbered
houses,includingCasaJuandeAustria(Plaza Juan de Austria);look for
the bust of Carlos I before it. Here,the emperor’s illegitimate son
(Don Juan ofAustria, later a charismatic admiral who beatthe Turks
at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571),reputedly stayed while visiting
his father atthe Monasterio de Yuste.
The MonasteriodeYuste(% 927 17 21 30; 30-minguided tour in
Spanish €2.50; h 9.30am-12.30pm & 3-6pmMon-Sat, to 11.15am
& 3-6pm Sun) is 2km northwestof Cuacos. The gouty Carlos I
of Spain (alsoknown, confusingly and with equal frequency,as Carlos
V of Austria, Emperor of the Holy
Roman Empire) withdrew here in 1557 tospend his dying years,
having divided theworld’s biggest empire between his brotherand his
legitimate son, Felipe II. A closed order
of Hieronymite monks occupies the monasteryitself but you can
visit the outlying churchwith its Gothic and Plateresque cloisters,
and
the modest royal chambers where the ailingmonarch’s bed was
placed to give him a direct
view of the altar. Ask for the accompanyingpamphlet in
English.
A pocked, narrow road offering spectacular views continues
7km beyond the monastery (ifyou’re hesitant, take the better
quality one fromJaraíz de la Vera) to GargantalaOlla, a
pictur-esque, steeply pitched village whose door lintelsare
inscribed with the date of construction andname of the original
owner. Look out for theCasa de las Muñecas at No 3 on the main
street.The House of the Dolls gets its name from themuch weathered
female form on the stone door
archway. Painted in blue, the come-on colourof the time, it was
a brothel in Carlos I’s time.From the village you can make the
spectaculardrive over the 1269m PuertodePiornal pass tothe
Valle del Jerte.
Jarandilla dela Vera, 10km northeast of Cua-cos de
Yuste, has a 15th-century fortifiedchurch on Plaza de la
Constitución and amagnificent parador (opposite).
The Rutadel Emperador, a 10km walking trail,replicates the
Emperor’s route from Jaran-dilla to the Monasterio de Yuste. Follow
thesign south from the church below the
town’sparador and turn right at a T-junction to
leave
town via Calle Marina.Other La Vera villages with fine
tradi-tional architecture are Valverdedela VeraandVillanueva dela
Vera. The former is particularly
engaging; pretty Plaza de España is lined withtimber balconies
and water gushes down rutsetched into the middle of the cobbled
lanes. Sleeping & EatingMany villages have camping
grounds, oftenwith good riverside positions, and there aresome fine
casas rurales (rural houses withrooms to let).
CUACOS DE YUSTECampingCarlosI (% 927 17 20 92; sites
per adult/tent/car€4/4/4; h Easter–mid-Sep; s p ) About 1km
eastof Cuacos de Yuste, this shady spot has apool, tennis court and
restaurant (h Jul & Aug).Bungalows (€59) accommodating up to
fourare open year round.
Hotel Moregón(% 927 17 21 81; www.moregon.comin Spanish; Avenida
de la Constitución 77; s/d €30/48;a ) Handy for the Monasterio
de Yuste, this mod-ern place has 16 varied rooms, most withelements
of exposed brick wall, cool floor tilesand a colour scheme ranging
from sunny yel-
low to wine red. There’s also a good restaurant(mains
€7-12).
GARGANTA LA OLLAThere are several good modest
restaurantsin the cramped little lanes off Plaza Diez deMayo.
RestauranteLa Fragua(% 927 17 95 71; Callede Toril 4; menú €10,
mains €9-11) offers good localcooking in a busy dining room,
all timberbeams and exposed stone walls.
JARAÍZ DE LA VERAFinca Valvellidos(% 927 19 41 43;
www.valvellidos.comin Spanish; d €45-56; p n a ) This
impeccably
restored farmhouse has five spacious doublerooms and also
bungalows and self-con-tained apartments (€60 to €75), all in a
gentle
country setting 2km along a dirt track off theEX392, 2km south
of Jaraíz. Horse-riding(€24 for two hours) is an option and
down-stairs is a small restaurant for guests; breakfastis €3.50 and
the €15 set menu is rich in localdishes.
JARANDILLA DE LA VERACampingJaranda(% 927 56 04 54;
[email protected]; sites per adult/tent/car €4/4/4; h
mid-Mar–mid-Sep; s ) This camping ground, 1.25kmwest of
Jarandilla, is particularly good forwalkers and provides sketch
maps for gentlehikes in the area. It’s beside a gurgling brookand
has a restaurant, plenty of shade and alsobungalows (€58 to
€90).
Hotel Don Juan deAustria(% 927 56 02 06;
www.donjuandeaustria.com; Avenida Soledad Vega Ortiz 101; r€75; a i
s ) This longstanding hotel hasrecently grafted on a spa offering
all sortsof watery activities and massages (including– lick this
one if you can – envoltu ra en choco- late, being
smothered in chocolate). Rooms,
some with brass beds and others with dark-oak bedheads, are
furnished in antique styleand a few have vistas of the Sierra de
Gredosand Valle Jaranda.
Parador(% 927 56 01 17; [email protected]; Avenidade
García Prieto 1; s/d €108/135; p n a s ) Pushout the boat and
emulate the emperor bystaying overnight in this stylish
15th-centurycastle-turned-hotel. Within the stout wallsand turrets
are tastefully decorated roomswith period furniture.
Getting There & AwayUp to three buses daily run between
lower La
Vera villages and Plasencia. The journey fromPlasencia to
Madrigal de la Vera (one daily),the most distant village, takes 1¾
hours.
Bookaccommodationonlineat lonelyplanet.com
Carlos V Ruta de
Emperador Ruta del
(40km)To Salamanca
de Yuste Monasterio
de la Mata (10km)To Navalmoral(75km)
To Trujillo(75km)To Cáceres
To Ávila (25km)
Pedro (20km)To Arenas de San
Y L E Ó NC A S T I L L A
LA MANCHACASTILLA -
Candeleda
Ahigal
GranadillaGuijo de
Verade la
Villanueva
la VeraJarandilla de
la VeraViandar de
Navaconcejo
Tornavacas
Jerte
del ValleCabezuela
Plasencia
MiramontesPueblo Nuevo de
de San JuliánLas Ventas
CaudilloTiétar del
la Vera
Mesillas
Talayuela
Madrigal de
de la VeraValverde
de la VeraRobledillo
la VeraLosar de
Santa BárbaraGuijo de
de la VeraAldeanueva
de YusteCuacos
Cabrero la OllaGarganta
Piornal
Barrado
la VeraJaraíz de
Tejeda de Tiétar
Gargüera
de PlasenciaMalpartida
El Barco de Ávila
Navalguijo
BarcoNava del
Tormellas
UmbriasMontemayor
Baños deLa Garganta
PlasenciaVillar de Cabezabellosa
del MonteCasas
de ToroSegura
Hervás
GargantillaAbadía
GranadillaZarza de
Granadilla
de los Infiernosde la Garganta
Reserva Natural
z o r
b m A
l e d
e l l a
V
s o d e r GedarreiS
aira l e d n a C a r r e i S
s o t n a m r o T e d
a r r e i S
a r r e i S a l
s a r T e d
s e t n o
M
(1275m)
(1430m)
(2399m)Covacha
HondurasPuerto de
V a l l e
d e l
J e r t e
L a V
e r a
Puerto de
TornavacasPuerto de
(1830m)Camocho
(1269m)Piornal
Valdeobispo Embalse de
A m b r
o z
A l a g
n
R o
Rosarito Embalse de
R o
J e r t e
R o
J e r t e
o R
R o
T i Ø t a r
Plasencia Embalse de
y GalÆn Embalse de Gabriel
(2401m)Calvitero
Map (p815)See Las Hurdes
EX392
EX205
EX203
EX203N110
N110
A66
A66
NORTHEASTERN EXTREMADURA 0 10 km0 6 miles
EASTER SUFFERING
Villanueva de la Vera is the scene, on the day before Good
Friday, of one of the more bizarre ofSpain’s religious
festivities,Los Empalaos (literally ‘The Impaled’). Several
penitent locals submitto this Via Crucis, their arms strapped to a
beam (from a plough) and their near-naked bodieswrapped tight with
cords from waist to armpits, and all along the arms to the
fingertips. Barefootand with two swords strapped to their backs,
veiled and wearing a crown of thorns, these ‘walk-ing crucifixes’
follow a painful Way of the Cross, watched on in respectful silence
by townsfolkand visitors from far and wide. Hanging from the timber
are chains of iron that clank in a sinisterfashion as the penitents
make their painful progress. Guided by cirineos (guides
who light the
way and help them if they fall), the
empalaos occasionally cross paths. When this happens
theykneel and rise again to continue their laborious journey.
Doctors stay on hand, as being so tightlystrapped does nothing for
blood circulation.
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VALLE DEL JERTEThis valley, separated by the Sierra
deTormantos from La Vera, grows half of Spain’scherries and is a
sea of white blossom in lateMarch or early April. Go in May or
earlyJune and every second house is busy boxingthe ripe fruit.
The PlasenciaÁvila N110 runs up the val-ley, crossing into
Castilla y León by the Puerto
de Tornavacas (1275m).
InformationTourist office(% 927 47 25 58;
www.turismovalledeljerte.com in Spanish; h 10am-3pm Mon, to 3pm
&4-5.30pm Tue-Fri, to 2pm Sat) This office, 600m north
ofCabezuela del Valle, covers the whole valley.Valledel
Jertetourism(www.elvalledeljerte.com inSpanish) Another useful
website.
Sights & ActivitiesPiornal (1200m), on the southeast
flank ofthe valley and famous for its Serrano ham,is well placed
for walks along the Sierra de
Tormantos.In Cabezuela del Valle, Plaza de Extrema-dura, leading
into Calle Hondón, has somefine houses with overhanging wooden
bal-conies. A spectacular, winding 35km roadleads from just north
of Cabezuela over the1430m Puerto de Honduras to Hervás in theValle
del Ambroz.
Jerteis another good base for walks withinthe
beautiful Reserva Natural de la Garganta delosInfiernos. This
nature reserve of ‘Hell’sGorge’ has a small display and
informationoffice (h 10am-2pm & 5-8pm Easter-Sep, 9am-1pm
&3-6pm Oct-Easter) beside Camping Valle del Jerte.
Ask for its illustrated brochure and maphighlighting eight walks
within the reserve.An easy 1½-hour 7km return walk fromthe office
takes you to Los Pilones, with itsstrange, smooth rock formations
throughwhich the emerald-and-sapphire crystal-clear stream
threads.
Tornavacas, yet another Extremaduran village with a
huddled old quarter, is thestarting point of the Ruta de CarlosV.
Twenty-eight kilometres long, the trail (PR1) followsthe route by
which Carlos I was borne overthe mountains to Cuacos de Yuste
(p810) viaJarandilla de la Vera. You can walk it in one
day – just as Carlos’ bearers did in the 1550s.The route crosses
the Sierra de Tormantosby the 1479m Collado (or Puerto) de
lasYeguas.
Sleeping & EatingCampingRío Jerte(% 927 17 30 06;
www.campingrio
jerte.com in Spanish; sites per adult/tent/car €4/4/4, 4-6
personbungalows €59-91; s ) On the river’s right bank1.5km
southwest of Navaconcejo, it hires outbikes (per hour/day €3/16)
and has attractivestone bungalows. To cool off, you can choosefrom
the natural riverside pool or a standardartificial one.
CampingValledel Jerte (% 927 47 01 27;
www.campingbungalowvalledeljerte.com in Spanish; sites per
adult/tent €4/8, 2-8 person bungalow €45-96;h mid-Mar–mid-Sep;s
) Just outside Jerte, this camping groundboasts a tennis
court, bar-restaurant and mini-market.
Hotel Aljama(% 927 47 22 91; Calle Federico Bajo s/n,Cabezuela
del Valle; s/d €26/45;a ) Almost touchingthe church across the
street as it overhangsthe very narrow lane, this hotel
preservesseveral traditional architectural features ofthe region
such as cork floors and plenty ofwooden beams. Rooms are spacious
and therestaurant offers generous mains (€6 to €11)
and a menú del día (€9).Hospedería La Serrana (% 927
47 60 34; www.hospederialaserrana.com in Spanish; Carretera
Garganta la Ollas/n; s/d €38/60 with breakfast; p ) Constructed as
asanatorium for TB patients and located 1kmeast of Piornal, this
low-slung house in thecountry offers large, well-furnished,
excellent-
value rooms. It’s ideally placed for exploringthe sierra’s
signed walking trails.
Hotel LosArenales (% 927 47 02 50; www.hotel-arenales.com; s
€30-4, d €42-52;a p w ) Just 1.5kmsouthwest of Jerte on the
N110, this is a de-cent roadside stopover with 33 rooms
(twoequipped for the handicapped) and a rest au-
rant. It’s about 500m from Río Jerte and theGarganta de los
Infiernos park.The valley is known for its casas rural
es,
(village houses or farmhouses) often bookedwell in advance on
weekends. El Cerezal delosSotos (% 927 47 04 29, 607 752197;
www.elcerezaldelossotos.net in Spanish; Jerte; d with breakfast
€70; h mid-Feb–mid-Dec; p s a ) is a
wonderfulsix-bedroom sprawling stone house set amidcherry orchards
above the east bank of RíoJerte. Follow signs from Jerte and the
N110and do book in for dinner (€20), rich in localspecialities.
Getting There & AwayFrom Plasencia there’s one weekday bus
toPiornal and up to four along the valley as faras Tornavacas.
VALLE DEL AMBROZThis broader valley west of the Valle del
Jerte,once split by the Roman Vía de la Plata (see theboxed text
p814), nowadays carries the N630and advancing A66 motorway, running
fromPlasencia to Salamanca in Castilla y León. The
area’s tourist office(% 927 47 36 18; www.valleambroz.com in
Spanish; Calle Braulio Navas 6; h 10am-2pm & 4-6pmor 5-7pm
Tue-Fri, to 2pm Sat & Sun) is in Hervás.
Herváspop3900This colourful town has Extremadura’s bestsurviving
barriojudío(Jewish quarter), whichthrived until the 1492 expulsion
of the Jews,when most families sought refuge in Portu-gal. Explore
especially Calles Rabilero andCuestecilla then, for a fine view,
climb up tothe IglesiadeSantaMaría, on the site of a ruinedKnights
Templar castle.
The MuseoPérez Comendador-Leroux (% 92748 16 55; Calle Asensio
Neila; admission €1.20;h 4-8pm Tue,11am-2pm & 4-8pm Wed-Fri,
10.30am-2pm Sat & Sun) , in animpressive 18th-century mansion
on the mainstreet, houses works of Hervás-born 20th-century
sculptor Enrique Pérez Comendadorand his wife, the French painter
MagdalenaLeroux.
The MuseodelaMotoClásica (% 927 48 12 06; Car-retera de la
Garganta; adult/child €10/5;h 10.30am-1.30pm& 4-7.30pm Tue-Fri,
10.30am-8pm Sat & Sun), on a hillock200m north of the river,
has lots of classic mo-torcycles, ranging from Harleys to
Zundapps.In separate pavilions are collections of classic
cars and horse-drawn carriages.The small
CentrodeInterpretacíonFerrocarril (% 927 01 47 14; Paseo de la
Estación; admission free; h 10am-2pm & 4-7pm), in Hervás’
decommissioned station,
has a multimedia display recounting the historyof the railway in
Extremadura.
SLEEPING & EATINGCampingEl Pinajarro(% 927 48 16 73;
www.campingelpinajarro.com in Spanish; sites per adult/tent/car
€4/4/4, 2/4
person bungalows €44/61; h mid-MarSep, Fri-Sun Oct–mid-Mar) On
the EX205, 1.5km southwest ofHervás, this shady, top-class camping
groundis run by a welcoming young couple. With ashop, restaurant
(July and August), naturetalks and plenty of children’s activities
in sum-mertime, it’s warmly recommended.
Alberguedela Via dela Plata (% 927 47 34
70;[email protected]; Paseo de la Estación s/n;
perperson €20) Here’s a delightfully original, brandnew hostel-type
place, open to all. With onedouble with private bathroom and four
quadswith shared bathroom, it’s in a convertedrailway station
building (no noise though;
the last train steamed by in 1984), furnishedin bright colours.
There’s a bar as well as self-catering facilities.
Hospedería Valle del Ambroz (% 927 47 48
28;www.hospederiavalledelambroz.com in Spanish; Plaza delHospital
s/n; s/d €65/105; a s p ) Occupying abeautifully restored
17th-century monastery,this place is not all it seems. The
monumentalfaçade belies a rather more modern interior,where you are
met by soft pastel colours andcontemporary art.
GranadillaAbout 25km west of Hervás,
Granadilla(admission
free; h 10am-1pm & 5-7pm Mon-Fri, 5-7pm Sat,
10am-1pmSun) is a picturesque village complete withits own
turreted castle. Abandoned after thecreation in the 1960s of the
reservoir that
DEHESAS
The Spanish worddehesa means simply
‘pastureland’, but in parts of Extremadura, where pasturesare often
dotted with evergreen oaks, it takes on a dimension that sends
environmentalists intorapture. Dehesas of
encina (holm oak) or alcornoque (cork oak)
are textbook cases of sustainableexploitation. The bark of the cork
oak can be stripped every nine years for cork (corcho) –
you’llsee the scars on some trees, a bright terracotta colour if
they’re new. The holm oak can bepruned about every four years and
the wood used for charcoal. Meanwhile, livestock can grazethe
pastures, and in autumn pigs are turned out to gobble up the fallen
acorns (bellotas) – a
diet that produces the best ham of all.Such, at least, is the
theory. In practice a growing number of Extremadura’s
dehesas are used
to less than their full potential. Some belong to absentee
landlords, who use them only forshooting; others are left untended
because people are finding easier ways of earning a crust.More
recently, the increasingly widespread use of plastic corks
threatens an important elementin Extremadura’s ecocycle.
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laps around it and located in a lush green set-ting amid
pinewoods, Granadilla is graduallybeing restored by visiting school
and s tudentgroups. To get here, drive to Abadia or Zarza
de Granadilla and follow the signs.
Baños de MontemayorWater and wicker bring visitors to this
smallspa town, 7km north of Hervás. Its twosprings, both dispensing
sulphurous watersat 43°C, were first tapped by the Romans,whose
baths soothed the muscles of wearytravellers along the Vía de la
Plata. At theBalneariodeBañosdeMontemayor (% 923 42 83
02;www.villatermal.com; Avenida de las Termas 57; h
Mar–mid-Dec) you can follow a 45-minute water-basedrelaxation
programme (€40) in the remains ofthe Roman bathhouse. A host of
other treat-
ments are also available.The Centro de Interpretación Via de La
Plata(% 923 02 03 28; Calle Castañ ar 48; admission free; h
10am-2pm & 4-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) uses modernmedia
within a restored traditional building torecount the history of
this vital communica-tions route from Roman times onward.
Baskets of all shapes and sizes, mats, evenhats, cascade from
the wicker shops along themain street. Check the label if something
takesyour fancy; much of what’s on sale nowadayscomes from the Far
East. Getting There & Away
Up to five buses daily run between Cáceres,Plasencia and
Salamanca via the Valle delAmbroz, calling by Hervás (€2.25) and
Bañosde Montemayor (€2.60).
LAS HURDESLas Hurdes has taken nearly a century toshake
off its image of poverty, disease andchilling tales of witchcraft,
even cannibal-
ism. In 1922 the miserable existence of
thehurdanos prompted Alfonso XIII to declareduring a
horseback tour, ‘I can bear to seeno more’. A decade later Luis
Buñuel madeLas Hur des – Terre Sans Pain (Land
withoutBread), his short, harrowing documentaryabout rural poverty.
Today the slick roadsand growth of could-be-anywhere housinghave
robbed much of the picturesque feelfrom its villages but notably
improved lo-cals’ living standards. Even so, outsiders arestill a
rare enough phenomenon to attractstares.
The austere, rocky terrain yields only
small terraces of cultivable land along theriverbanks. The few
remaining original,squat stone houses resemble slate-roofedsheep
pens as much as human dwell ings andin the hilly terrain donkeys
and mules remainmore practical than tractors. Here and
thereclusters of beehives produce
high-qualityhoney. InformationThe tourist office (% 927 43 53
29; www.todohurdes.com; Avenida de Las Hurdes s/n; h 10am-2pm &
4.30-7pmTue-Sat, 11am-1.30pm Sun Jun-Sep, 10am-2pm &
4-7pmTue-Sat, to 2pm Sun Oct-May), beside the EX204 in
Caminomorisco, is the area’s lone informa-tion office. Within
the Casa de la Cultura(Cultural Centre), it has a useful map
outlin-ing walks and drives in Las Hurdes.
Sights & ActivitiesThe valley of Río Hurdano, slicing
northwestfrom Vegas de Coria and cut by the EX204, isat the heart
of Las Hurdes. From Nuñomoral,7.5km up the valley, a road heads
west up aside valley to El Gasco, from where there’s aparticularly
good one-hour return walk toEl Chorrodela Meancera, a 70m
waterfall. Thisside valley, the most picturesque of the area,
has hard-won farming terraces carved out ofthe ravine’s steep
banks and clusters of tradi-tional stone and slate-roofed houses
huddledtogether in hamlets such as Cottolengo.
Back in the main valley CasaresdelasHurdes,9km northwest of
Nuñomoral, has a pleasantmain square with good views down the
val-ley. To get a feel for Las Hurdes at the pace itdemands, set
aside a day to walk the PR40, anear-circular 28km route that
follows ancientshepherd trails from here to Las Heras viaLa
Huetre.
Beyond Casares de las Hurdes, the roadwinds up through
Carabusino and Robledo
to the border of Salamanca province, fromwhere you can continue
25km to CiudadRodrigo (p191).
Alternatively, take a right turn 20m beforethe border marker to
wind 9km down throughforest to the isolated villages of
RiomalodeArriba, Ladrillarand Cabezoas far as LasMestas, atthe
junction of the forest-lined road that leadsup into the Peña de
Francia towards La Alberca(p192). Las Mestas is a pretty stop, with
a piscinanatural (river swimming spot) and several
localstores selling honey and pollen products.
Sleeping & EatingMost of the main villages of Las Hurdes
haveat least one hotel, which usually has its ownrestaurant.
Pensión Hurdano (% 927 43 30 12; Avenida PadreRizabala;
Nuñomoral; s/d without bathroom €18/27, d withbathroom
€30) Deep into the valley and run by anengaging old couple,
this is a little gem thatalso runs a bar and restaurant.
Hostal Montesol (% 927 67 61 93; Calle Lindón 7;
rwithout/with bathroom €30/32;a p ) In Casares delas Hurdes,
high up in the austere valley, ithas rear rooms with great views.
There’s also
a restaurant serving hearty fare.LasCabañasde Mestas (% 927 43
40 25; www.lasmestas.com; Finca La Viña Grande; cabins €45-55;a p
)
RUTA DE LA PLATA
The name of this ancient highway, also called the Vía de
la Plata, derives from the Arabicbilath, meaning tiled or
paved (and no, if you remember your schooldays Spanish, it’s
nothing to dowith plata, meaning silver). But it was the
Romans in the first century who originally laid this1000km-long
artery, linking Seville in the south with the coast of Cantabria
and Bay of Biscay.Along its length moved goods, troops, travellers
and traders. Later, it also served an alterna-tive pilgrim route
for the faithful walking from Andalucía to Santiago de Compostela
along theCamino Mozarabe.
Nowadays it’s closely paralleled by the N630, which has usurped
large tracts for motor traffic.But much of the original remains and
alternative walking tracks often run where the highway hasintruded.
Entering Extremadura south of Zafra, it passes through Mérida,
Cáceres and Plasencia,then heads for Salamanca in Castilla y
León.
Neglected and virtually abandoned when motorised transport first
dominated, it’s now pro-moted as a valued tourist and cultural
resource. Take a look at www.rutadelaplata.com or pick upits
equivalent guide (€3) from tourist offices on the route. And should
you be tempted to trek astretch or two, pack Walkin g t he Vía de
la Plata by Ben Cole and Bethen Davies.
Plasencia (57km)To Coria (47km);
To La Alberca (4km)
Salamanca (87km)To Sotoserrano (6km);
(25km)To Ciudad Rodrigo
(55km)
ToPlasencia
A l a
g n
R o
L a d r i l l a r
R o
H u r d a n o
R o
L o s
` n g e l e s d e
R o
L E Ó N
C A S T I L L A Y L E Ó N
C A S T I L L A Y
Riomalo de Abajo
Ladrillar
Cabezo
Las
NuñomoralEl Rubiaco
Horcajada
CarabusinoRobledo
Las Heras
Asegur
MartinlandránCottolengo
La HuetreCasares de las Hurdes
de ArribaRiomalo
Arrolobos
Cambroncino
de CoriaVegas
La Pesga
Fragosa
Avellanar
El Gasco
Aceña
Caminomorisco
Casar
El Robledo
Pinofranqueado
La Huerta
de Palomero
El Cerezal
Mestas
Sauceda
Horcajo
de Las Monasterio
Batuecas
(1412m)Arrobuey
El Chorro
Miacera
de la
EX204
EX204
LAS HURDES 8 km4 miles00
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These cabins, accommodating up to four peo-ple, and each having
a porch, kitchen and ascratch of garden, enjoy a lovely setting
amidolive groves. You may find the service as rusticas the
bungalows.
Getting There & AwayTransport isn’t easy here. On weekdays,
onebus runs daily between Plasencia and Vegas
de Coria (€4.90, 1½ hours) and Casares de lasHurdes (€6, 2¼
hours). Another runs betweenRiomalo de Arriba and Vegas de Coria
(€2.30,30 minutes), connecting with the Plasenciaservice. Two
CoriaSalamanca buses call byCaminomorisco Monday to Saturday andone
bus connects the town with Plasenciaon weekdays.
SIERRA DE GATAThe Sierra de Gata, to the southwest of
LasHurdes, is almost as remote, its villages just asappealing. It’s
a land of wooded hills and val-leys, through which poke spectacular
outcrops
of granite, the building material of choice inthe vernacular
architecture, with its carvedstonework and external staircases.
Hoyos, formerly the summer residence of thebishops of Coria, has
some impressive casasseñor iales (mansions). The solid
sandstonemass of its 16th-century Iglesia de NuestraSeñora del Buen
Varón is surrounded on threesides by wide plazas and balconies
bright withcascading flowers. About 5km out of centralHoyos (follow
the signs for piscina natural
just outside the east exit) is a popular localfreshwater
stream that widens out and is usedas a local summer pool.
Santibáñez el Alto, high up on a lonely wind-swept ridge
to the east, has the dinkiest bull-ring you’ll ever see, built into
the partiallyruined walls of the mostly 13th-century castlethat
once guarded this vantage point.
Of all the hamlets in the sierra, the mostengaging is San Martín
deTrevejo. Beside cob-blestone lanes with water coursing
downcentral grooves, traditional houses jut outupon
timber-and-stone supports. A coupleof casas ru ral
es offer rooms in the old villagecentre and several bars
and a restaurant havefood. On the northern edge of the village
youcan stroll out along an original Roman road.
Here and in the two next villages looking west,Elvasand
Valverdedel Fresno, the folk speak theirown isolated dialect, a
strange mix of Spanishand Portuguese.
Getting There & AwayFrom Coria, four buses run daily to
Hoyos(€2.25), and one or two to Valverde del Fresno(€4.40, 1¾
hours). There’s one bus daily onweekdays from Plasencia to Valverde
delFresno (2¾ hours) via San Martín de Trevejo.Two run from
Plasencia to Hoyos and anotherto Santibáñez (one hour).
CORIA & AROUNDpop12,950 South of the Sierra de Gata,
massive andlargely intact protective walls surround Co-ria’s old
quarter, its whitewashed houseswatched over by a mighty keep.
InformationEsitat-Coria(Calle Almanzor 12; per hr €3; h 11am-2pm
& 4-11pm) Internet access.Tourist office(% 927 50 13 51;
Avenida de Extrema-dura 39; h 9am-2pm & 5-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm
Sat &Sun) It has a pamphlet in English with a plan and
descrip-tion of the old town’s main sights.
Sights & ActivitiesThe cathedral (Plaza de la
Catedral; h 10am-1pm & 4-6.30pm), primarily Gothic, has
intricate Plat-eresque decoration around its north portal.Attached
is a small ecclesiastical museum(admission€2). On the plain below
is a fine stone bridge,abandoned in the 17th century by Río
Alagón,which now takes a more southerly course.
The ConventodelaMadredeDios(Calle de las Monjass/n; admission
€1.50;h 10am-12.45pm & 4.15-6.45pm Sun-Fri,4.15-6.45pm
Sat) is a thriving 16th-century conventwith an elegant
cloister. The sisters sell a varietyof delicious home-made sweets
and pastries.
The Museodela Carcel Real (Calle de las Monjas 2;admission
€1.20; h 10.30am-2pm & 5.30-8.30pm Wed-Sun),once the town’s
lock-up, houses Coria’s tinyarchaeological museum. Step inside the
dark,poky celda del casti go (punishment cell), thensee
how the cushy first floor cells differedfrom the plebs’ prison
below.
Galisteo, 26km east of Coria on the EX109,has near-intact
Muslim-era walls, the remainsof a 14th-century fort with a
curiously dispro-portionate cone-shaped tower added later anda
Mudéjar brick apse to its old church.
Sleeping & Eating
Hotel losKekes(% & fax 927 50 40 80; Avenida de la Sierrade
Gata 49; s/d €22/36) In the heart of town, theseneat,
well-furnished rooms make for an invit-ing stop. Prices rise a
little in August.
El BobodeCoria(% 927 50 07 95; Calle de las Monjas6; mains €11;
h Tue-Sun) Particularly strong onlocal mushroom dishes in season,
The Idiotof Coria (named after a Velazquez painting)is also rich in
traditional Extremadura dishes.The food’s safe here; the walls are
scarcely vis-ible for the collection of locks, keys and boltsthat
adorn them.
Casa Campana(% 927 50 00 38; Plaza San Pedro5; meals €20-25; h
Wed-Mon) The slightly kitschdécor of the dining room, with
its hunk ofRoman wall and orange paint job, doesn’tdetract from
Casa Campana’s fine countrycooking. And you can always dine on
theterrace if it offends you.
Getting There & AwayThe busstation (% 927 50 01 10; Calle de
Chile) is inthe new part of town, about 1km from the
oldquarter. Buses run to/from Plasencia (€3.85,three daily) and
Cáceres (€5.25 five daily).
PLASENCIApop39,600 This pleasant, bustling town is the
naturalhub of northern Extremadura. Rising above abend of Río
Jerte, it retains long sections of itsdefensive walls. Founded in
1186 by AlfonsoVIII of Castilla (see his handsome equestrianstatue
outside Puerta del Sol), Plasencia onlylost out to Cáceres as
Extremadura’s premiertown in the 19th century. It has an
attractiveold quarter of narrow streets and stately stonebuildings,
many emblazoned with noble coatsof arms. Sights are well signed in
both Spanishand English.
InformationMunicipal tourist office(% 927 42 38 43;
www.aytoplasencia.es/turismo in Spanish; Calle Santa Clara2; h
9am-2pm & 4-9pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm & 4-8pmSat &
Sun)Regional tourist office(% 927 01 78 40;
www.turismoextremadura.com; off Avenida del Exército; h 9am-2pm
& 5-7pm Mon-Fri, 9.45am-2pm Sat & Sun Jun-Sep,9am-2pm &
4-6pm Mon-Fri Oct-Apr) Within Torre Lucia.
SightsHeart of town is lively, arcaded Plaza Mayor,meeting place
of 10 streets and scene of aTuesday farmers market since the 12th
cen-
tury. The little fellow who strikes the hour ontop of the
much-restored Gothic transitionaltownhall is El Abuelo Mayorga
(Grandpa May-orga), an unofficial symbol of the town.
Plasencia’scathedral (Plaza de la Catedral; h 9am-1pm &
5-7pm Mon-Sat, to 1pm Sun May-Sep, to 2pm & 4-6pmMon-Sat, to
1pm Sun Oct-Apr) is actually two in one.The 16th-century
Catedral Nueva(admission free) ismainly Gothic with a handsome
Plateresquefaçade and robustly carved early-16th-century choir
stalls that mix sacred and secular. Withinthe
Romanesque Catedral Vieja(admission €2), en-tered through the
Catedral Nueva via its bijou
of a cloister, are the fine Capilla de San Pabloand the
cathedral museum with 15th- to 17th-century Spanish and Flemish
art.
Nearby is the MuseoEtnográfico-Textil (% 92742 18 43;
Plazuela Marqués de la Puebla; admission free;h 11am-2pm &
5-8pm Wed-Sat, to 2pm Sun), whichdisplays local handicrafts and
costumes.
The CentrodeInterpretaciónTorreLucia(% 927 4168 40; off Avenida
del Exército; admission free;h 10am-2pm &5-8pm Jun-Sep,
10am-2pm & 4-6pm Oct-Apr) tells the history of medieval
Plasencia through a video, modelsand artefacts. It also gives
access to a hunk of thecity wall, which you can walk along.
SleepingHotel Rincón Extremeño(% 927 41 11 50;
www.hotelrincon.com in Spanish; Calle Vidrieras 6; s/d €30/39;a
) Thisunpretentious hotel has good, clean roomsand also runs a
popular restaurant. It’s downa busy little lane cluttered with
eateries andbars just off P laza Mayor.
Hotel AlfonsoVIII (% 927 41 02 50;
www.hotelalfonsoviii.com in Spanish; Avenida Alfonso VIII 32; s
€60-70, d €105-20; p a n ) Cool and gracious, on a busystreet
just outside the old city walls, this early-20th-century hotel
offers comfortable, sound-proofed, spacious rooms, though the
décor’s alittle dated. It runs a highly regarded restaurant.
Wi-fi and parking (€11) are available. Parador(% 927 42 58
70; [email protected]; PlazaSan Vicente Ferrer s/n; s/d
€112/140; p n a ) Theaustere outside of this 15th-century
Domini-can convent gives no hint of the resplendentRenaissance
cloister, the delightful rooms(with wi-fi) and richly tiled dining
room, oncethe monks’ refectory. Parking is €12.
EatingTapas are the thing in Plasencia. At lunch-time and sunset
the bars and terraces on andaround the Plaza Mayor fill up with
eagerpunters, downing cañas (a small draught beer)
or the local pitarra red at €1 a shot. With
eachtipple comes a tapa for free. Depending onyour tolerance for
the grog, you can easilylunch or dine this way!
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La Pitarra del Gordo(% 927 41 45 05; Plaza Mayor 8) This is
one of myriad busy tapas bars. Favour-ites are its sausages and
sliced ham (see the fatlegs dangling from the bar’s roof). It has
twoother branches around town.
CasaJuan(% 927 42 40 42; Calle Arenillas 5; mains €12-15; h
Fri-Wed) Tucked away in a quiet lane, CasaJuan does
well-prepared extremeño meat dishessuch as shoulder of
lamb and suckling pig. The
chef’s French; for starters, try his homemademelt-in-the-mouth
foie gras . Eat in the vast din-ing room or on the smaller
rear terrace.
ShoppingCasa del Jamón(Calle Zapatería 15) is a
pleasantlypungent, tempting delicatessen with a greatselection of
wines, sausages, cheeses and bou-tique beers.
Getting There & AwayThe busstation (Calle de Tornavacas
2) is about750km east of Plaza Mayor. The train stationis off
the Cáceres road, about 1km southwest
of town.Up to five buses daily run to/from Cáceres(€3.25, 50
minutes) and five to seven to/fromMadrid (2½ hours).
Local services, weekdays only, include LaVera (up to three
daily), Hervás (up to fivedaily), Coria (three daily), Hoyos (two
daily)and one each to Caminomorisco, and Val-
verde del Fresno. Up to five services run toSalamanca
(€7.40, 2½ hours).
Train depart from Plasencia to Madrid(€17.85, three to 3½ hours,
two to six daily),Cáceres (€4, 1½ hours, up to five daily)
andMérida (€6.90, 2½ hours, two to three daily).
PARQUE NACIONAL MONFRAGÜESpain’s 14th and newest national park,
createdin 2006, is a hilly paradise for bird watchers.Straddling
the Tajo valley, it’s home to some
of Spain’s most spectacular colonies of raptorsand more than 75%
of Spain’s protected spe-cies. Among some 175 feathered varieties
arearound 250 pairs of black vultures (the largestconcentration of
Europe’s biggest bird of prey)and populations of two other rare
large birds:the Spanish imperial eagle and the black stork.At
ground level, you’ll be very lucky indeed tospot the endangered
lynx, which still just man-ages to hang on in the park. The best
time to
visit is between March and October since storksand several
raptors winter in Africa.
The park informationcentre (% 927 19 91 34;h 9am-7.30pm Apr-Oct,
9am-6.30pm Nov-Mar) is in the
hamlet of Villarreal de San Carlos on the
EX208Plasencia–Trujillo road. Ask there for the Eng-lish version of
its excellent illustrated map,which describes three signed walking
trails ofbetween 2½ and 3½ hours and shorter loopstoo. You can also
drive to several of the hidesand lookout points, such as the
hilltop CastillodeMonfragüe, a ruined 9th-century Muslim fort.It’s
20 minutes on foot from the castle car parkor an attractive 1½-hour
walk from Villarreal.
On the Peña Falcón crag, over on the opposite(west) bank of Río
Tajo, are griffin vultures,black storks, Egyptian vultures,
peregrine fal-cons, golden eagles and eagle owls.
The park maintains a couple of CentrosdeInterpretación, one
about water (its video hasan optional English soundtrack) and the
otherpresenting the park’s natural environment.
The nearest towns with accommodation are
Torrejón el Rubio, 16km south of Villarreal,and Malpartida de
Plasencia, 18.5km north.Villarreal has a couple of casas
rurales andreservations are normally essential.Al
Mofrag(% 927 19 90 86; www.casaruralalmofrag.com in Spanish; Cañada
Real 19; s/d incl breakfast €35/50)Six cosy rooms in a fully
renovated house, opened in 2006.El Cabrerín(% & fax 927 19 90
02; Calle Villarreal 3; s/d€35/48) Ask at the bar opposite the
information centre.
Precisely 14km north of Villarreal on the EX208is
CampingMonfragüe(% 927 45 92 33; www.campingmonfrague.com in
Spanish; sites per adult/tent/car €4/4/4, 4-person bungalows
€40-62; h year-round;s ), a mature,
shady camping ground with restaurant, shopand pool. It rents out
bikes and does four-hour4WD guided tours of the park
(€25).
CENTRAL EXTREMADURACÁCERESpop89,050 Extremadura’s largest
city after Badajoz is alively place. Given extra vitality by a
sizablestudent population, it has some great restau-rants and a
vigorous nightlife.
The Ciudad Monumental, the old town
with its cobbled streets, mansions and publicbuildings, is a joy
to wander through. Pro-tected by defensive walls, it has survived
al-most intact from its 16th-century heyday. Itowes its
construction to wealth brought in bymigrating nobles from León in
the wake ofthe Reconquest, supplemented richly by lootfrom the
Americas.
Stretching at its feet, arcaded Plaza Mayoris one of Spain’s
finest public squares. OrientationThe Ciudad Monumental rises
above the150m-long Plaza Mayor. Around both, a tan-
gle of streets, mostly pedestrianised, extendsto Avenida de
España. From Plaza de América,at its southern end, Avenida de
Alemania runs1km southwest to the train and bus stations.
InformationCiberjust(Calle Diego Maria Crehuet 7; per hr €2;h
10.30am-11.30pm Mon-Fri, 5pm-11.30pm Sat & Sun)Closest internet
café to the Ciudad Monumental.
Junta deExtremadura tourist office(% 927 0108 34; Plaza
Mayor 3; h 9am-2pm & 4-6pm or 5-7pmMon-Fri, 9.45am-2pm Sat
& Sun)Municipal tourist office(% 927 24 71 72; Calle Ancha7; h
10am-2pm & 4.30-7.30pm or 5.30-8.30pm Tue-Sun)
Post office(Paseo Primo de Rivera 2)
Ciudad Monumental‘Monumental City’ captures it. The
churches,palaces and towers are indeed huge and hugelyimpressive
but no-one lives here and there’sonly a sprinkling of bars and
restaurants. Theplace lacks soul, especially after dark. But
let’snot be churlish. It’s magnificent and merits atleast two
visits: first by day, then by night toenjoy the buildings
illuminated.
Many of the mansions – all carved with thecoats of arms of their
founding families – arestill in private, often absentee, hands;
others are
used by the provincial government, the localbishop and the
Universidad Extremeña.
PLAZA DE SANTA MARÍAEntering the Ciudad Monumental from
PlazaMayor through the 18th-century Arco de laEstrella, you’ll see
ahead the Concatedral deSantaMaría(Plaza de Santa María; h 10am-1pm
& 5-8pm Mon-Sat, 9.30am-2pm & 5-8pm Sun), Cáceres’
15th-centuryGothic cathedral. On its southwest corner isa modern
statue of San Pedro de Alcántara, a16th-century
extremeño ascetic (see how histoes have been worn shiny
by the hands andlips of the faithful). Inside, drop €1 in the
slot
to the right of the Santa Rita chapel to lightup the magnificent
carved 16th-century cedaraltarpiece. There are several fine noble
tombsand a small ecclesiastical museum(admission €1).
Also on Plaza de Santa María, the Ciu-dad Monumental’s most
impressive plaza,are the PalacioEpiscopal (Bishop’s Palace),
thePalaciodeMayoralgoand the PalaciodeOvando,all in 16th-century
Renaissance style. Justoff the plaza’s northeast corner is the
PalacioCarvajal (Calle Amargura 1; admission free; h
10am-2pm& 5-9pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun). Within this
late-15th-century mansion, there’s a small, very visualdisplay of
sites of interest throughout north-
ern Extremadura.Not far away, in the northwest corner ofthe
walled city, the PalacioToledo-Moctezumawas once the home of a
daughter of the Aztec
WOOLLY WANDERERS
If you travel the byways of Extremadura, Castilla y León,
Castilla-La Mancha or western Andalucía
you may find your road crossing or running beside a broad grassy
track, which might have signssaying cañada real (royal
drove road) or vía pecuaria (secondary drove road). What you’ve
stumbledupon is one of Spain’s age-old livestock migration routes.
The Visigoths were the first to taketheir flocks south from
Castilla y León to winter on the plains of Extremadura – a practice
thatavoided the cold northern winter and allowed pastures to
regenerate.
This twice-yearly trashumancia (migration of
herds) grew to epic proportions in the late Mid-dle Ages, when
sheep became Spain’s economic mainstay. The vast network of drove
roads isestimated to have totalled 124,000km.
The biggest of them – veritable sheep freeways measuring
up to 75m wide – were the caña- das reales . The Cañada
Real de la Plata, which roughly followed the Roman Vía de la Plata
fromnorthwest to southwest Spain, passes just west of Salamanca,
enters Extremadura by the Valledel Ambroz, crosses the Parque
Natural Monfragüe, and then follows stretches of the EX208 to
Trujillo.In modern times the drove roads fell into disuse,
although since the late 1990s an effort has
been made to maintain some of them and even resuscitate the
trashumancia . The most publicisedexample takes place in
Madrid, where in autumn a flock of 2000 or so sheep is driven
throughthe city centre as a symbolic act.
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emperor Moctezuma, who was brought toCáceres as the bride of
conquistador JuanCano de Saavedra. Just around the corner,heading
back towards Arco de la Estrella,you can climb the
12th-centuryTorredeBujaco(adult/child €2/free; h 10am-2pm &
4.30-7.30pm or 5.30-8.30pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Sun). From the top of
thistower, there’s a good bird’s eye view (literally:you’re within
feather-ruffling distance of a
couple of stork nests) of the Plaza Mayor.
PLAZA DE SAN JORGESoutheast of Plaza de Santa María, past
theRenaissance-style Palacio de la Diputación, isPlaza de San
Jorge, above which rises the Ig-lesia de San Francisco Javier, an
18th-centuryJesuit church. Beside it, the 15th-century
CasadelosBecerra(Plaza de San Jorge 2) is a recently
re-stored mansion, now functioning as a culturalcentre, which
you’re free to wander around.
Nearby, the Casa-MuseoÁrabeYussuf Al-Borch(Cuesta del Marqués 4;
admission €1.50; h very irregular) is a private house decked
out by its owner
with an eccentric mix of Oriental and Islamictrappings. The
Arcodel Cristo, at the bottom ofthis street, is a Roman gate.
PLAZA DE SAN MATEO & PLAZADE LAS VELETASFrom Plaza de San
Jorge, Cuesta de la Com-pañía climbs to Plaza de San Mateo and
theIglesia deSanMateo, traditionally the church ofthe landowning
nobility and built on the siteof the town’s Arab mosque.
Just to the east is the TorredelasCigüeñas(Tower of the Storks).
This was the onlyCáceres tower to retain its battlements whenthe
rest were lopped off in the late 15th cen-tury, on Isabel la
Católica’s orders, to exertroyal authority and put a stop to
rivalry be-tween the city’s fractious nobility.
Below the square is the excellent MuseodeCáceres(% 927 01 08 77;
Plaza de las Veletas 1; admis-
sion/EU citizens €1.20/free; h 9am-2.30pm & 4-7.15pm
or5-8.15pm Tue-Sat, 10.15am-2.30pm Sun). This museumis in a
16th-century mansion built over anelegant 12th-century
aljibe (cistern), the onlysurviving element of Cáceres’
Muslim castle.It has an impressive archaeological section,rooms
devoted to traditional crafts and cos-tumes and a good little
fine-arts display, withworks by El Greco, Picasso and Miró.
OTHER BUILDINGSAlso worth a look within the Ciudad Monu-mental
are the PalaciodelosGolfinesdeArriba(Callede los Olmos 2), where
Franco was declared head
of state in 1936, and the CasaMudéjar (Cuesta deAldana 14),
still showing Muslim influence in itsbrickwork and 1st-floor window
arches. Onopposite sides of Plaza de los Caldereros are
thePalaciodelaGeneralaand CasadelosRivera, bothnow university
administrative buildings.
ToursThe Asociación deGuíasTurísticas(Tourist Guides
As-sociation; Plaza Mayor 2) leads regular 1½-hour tours(€4.50,
Tuesday to Sunday) in Spanish of the
CiudadMonumental
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Plaza de Santiago
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Plaza
ConcepciónPlaza de la
Mayor Plaza
San JuanPlaza de
San MateoPlaza de
Plaza de Santa María
San JorgePlaza de
las VeletasPlaza de
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Plaza de Santiago
DuquePlaza del
ObispoGalarza
Plaza
ConcepciónPlaza de la
Mayor Plaza
San JuanPlaza de
San MateoPlaza de
Plaza de Santa María
San JorgePlaza de
las VeletasPlaza de
23
13
18
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42
19
17
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43
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10
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6
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20
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25
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100 m
5
4
6
D
1
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2
BA C
Plasencia (84km)Cáceres (11km);
Malpartida deCáceres (1.5km);Ciudad deTo Camping
Badajoz (89km)To Mérida (71km);
MonumentalCiudad
StationTrain
(47km)To Trujillo
AméricaPlaza de
P a s e o d e
C Æ n o v a
s
Calvo SoteloParque
See Enlargement
C H e r m
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Plaza de Santiago
TorosPlaza de
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Mayor Plaza
33 40
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2928
4
14
2
49
50
CÁCERES 0 400 m0 0.2 miles
3738394041
1920
212223
12
34
42434445
46
47
48
4950
TRANSPORT
SHOPPING
252627
2930313233
28
34
3536
SLEEPING
6789
1011
1213
EATING
1415161718
5 24 DRINKING
INFORMATION
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
B5B5B5B3C6
D5C5
C6C5C5
C5C3
C5B3
Palacio de la Diputación...........Palacio de la
Generala...............Palacio de los Golfines de
Arriba...................................Palacio de
Mayoralgo...............Palacio de Ovando...................
Figón de Eustaquio....................Mesón El
Asador.......................Mesón
Ibérico...........................Quin
Qué.................................Restaurante Torre de
Sande......
D5C4B6B6
B5
C2
B4
A5A5
C5C5C6
C1C1C5B6B5B3
D6C5
C6
C5C6D6
C5C6
D6D5
C5
B3C6C6C6D5
Palacio Toledo-Moctezuma......Torre
Bujaco.............................Torre de las
Cigüeñas...............
Alameda Palacete......................Albergue Turístico Las
Veletas...Hostal Alameda........................Hotel Don
Carlos......................Hotel
Iberia...............................Hotel Iberia
II............................Parador de
Cáceres...................
Chez Manou............................El Corral de las
Cigüeñas...........
El Lancelot................................Farmácia de
Guardia.................Habana
....................................María
Mandiles.........................
La Jamonería de Pintores...........Sala de Promoción de la
Artesanía..............................
Bus No L-1 Stop (For Bus & Train
Stations)...............................Bus No L-1 Stop (To
City Centre).................................Bus
Station...............................
C6 C5Palacio Episcopal.......................
Asociación de Guías
Turísticas....Ciberjust.....................................Junta
de Etremadura Tourist
Office.....................................Main Post
Office.........................Municipal Tourist
Office.............
Arco de la Estrella.......................Arco de Santa
Ana.....................Arco del
Cristo...........................Casa de los
Bacerra.....................Casa de los
Rivera.....................Casa
Mudéjar...........................Casa-Museo Árabe Yussuf
Al-Borch...............................Concatedral de Santa
María.....Cruz de los Caídos....................Iglesia de San
Francisco Javier...Iglesia de San Mateo................Museo de
Cáceres....................Palacio
Carvajal........................
820 821
