Valdesangil surroundings

  The strategic situation of Valdesangil makes this village to be a very good starting point to visit the different surroundings, and to find picturesque, historical and quiet places, besides the proper region gastronomy remarking the iberian pork products, as well as the typical dishes, and a true calm resting in our house after all the travelling.

  There are so many different natural places and landscapes, ideal places for practicing a wide variety of outdoor activities.

  Historical vestiges and ruins from diverse ages: tombs made in stone, roman ways, very old bull fight rings and medieval, arabic and renaissance traces.

  This page offers several suggestions to visit some places, near Valdesangil, but not intending to be a complete list of locations, because we think that this area still permits particular discovers without long travels. Near, historical and well known towns as Salamanca (65 km) or Plasencia (60 km), they don't need any comment at this page.

Béjar

40º 23' 21" N       5º 45' 58" W

  This village, 2,5 km away from Valdesangil, with a population of around 15.000 people, loaded with historical and industrial vicissitudes, wool textile industries since de Middle Age, when the 'Mesta' was leading the international wool commerce. 

 Built between two valleys, Béjar was a very important resting and supply village for the Roman Army at the North to South Roman way, during the first 7 centuries. This 'road' later on named 'the Silver Way' by the arabic people staying in Spain since 8th to 15th centuries, was a very important itinerary for carrying the diverse minerals and metals from the ore mines to the south harbours. This village belonged to a Duke ('the Duke of Béjar') since 16th through the next centuries. Its history made this village a true melting pot of cultures, folk, gastronomy, etc. that still can be noticed by visiting its narrow streets, historical walls, bars and restaurants. Its bull fight ring is the oldest in Spain: it was opened sometime in 1711.

  Béjar preserves a good part of its arabic wall surrounding the town, its arabic castle ('alcázar'), that it was the Duke palace and, lately an Institute. It is possible to walk by the jewish or arabic parts of the village and to enjoy by watching the heraldic shields and the gates that still stand here as entrances to the different cultural and historical parts of the town. Within its five churches we can see romanesque structures, renaissance retables, cloisters and, at the main square, all the porticoes, the Town Hall, the small inn where Cervantes stayed by the time he dedicated the first part of El Quijote to the Duke of Béjar. Outside the village, it's possible to visit a renaissance garden, El Bosque, that was an amusement place for the Duke and his family.

  At the hill side of El Castañar (a chestnut-wood) there is a 'via crucis', a way that goes from the village up to a sanctuary dedicated to the Castañar virgin. This itinerary offers a complete variety of trees: chestnut-trees, walnut-trees, pine-trees, etc. More or less half way to the top, there's an observatory to watch the whole town.

  According to a local legend, some Christian men dressed with moss got into the city and recovered it from the Arabs. It is typical to see how the memory of this fact is preserved, during the 'Corpus Christi' parade in springtime, when a few men get disguised with true moss and appear every year in the parade.

 All the news and updated information about Béjar at:

"La Covatilla"

  "La Covatilla" is a part of the mountain ridge of Béjar and Candelario, of unquestionable beauty, around 2.400 m high, where skiing was a regular practice since 1930 and later. Its unique location offers a privileged view and environment for those who want to enjoy it from winter to summertime.

 Since 2000 the alpine ski station, with more than 12 km trails for several ski levels, it is visited for many people coming from different countries.

 The station has 11 trails, 8 snow cannons, equipment renting and 'consigna', ski school, restaurant and cafeteria, two ski lifts, one 4-chair lift and a cable car. A very nice place 2.400 m high for practicing these outdoor sports.

  Less than 5 km away from Valdesangil, this village is a need to visit when staying at this region. Candelario is built on the North face of the mountain ridge and that makes the village a very picturesque place for visiting. Its North orientation gives it a very special condition for curing sausages and ham. Time ago it was named 'village with no smoke stacks' because smoke from kitchens was directed to the high part of the houses for curing purposes.

  Its narrow streets have on their sides open water channels, continuously running from the mountains thaw. The local houses architecture is  very peculiar, corresponding to their purpose: the houses get closer at the highest parts, with balconies and galleries over the streets, to guarantee during summertime as well as wintertime the absence of sun light, very pernicious for their products, and also protecting people and pork production from rain and wind.

  The Candelario surroundings (practically all mountains) are a delight to walk by and photograph, 'cause it is possible to find views and places with no comparison. The cows on the country side, the small constructions, mills, make these itineraries very interesting for those who love Nature and natural environments.

  Around 30 km away from Valdesangil, going toward South (in the way to Cáceres), this village was deserted when a swamp was constructed and the water sunk all the fields and farms. Since a few years ago, the village is being rebuilt and it will be soon recovered. The impressing castle, that was maintained as it was, remains in perfect conditions and it is the best point to take a look to the whole village and all the work that it is going on, as well as the water surrounding the village.

Montemayor del río

 This small village surprises with its well protected location beside the river, its medieval castle (probably a templar castle) that it is being rebuilt, its church with a romanesque apse and corbels all around under the roof and, within the church, a big fresco painting representing Saint Christopher on the North wall.

  The itinerary from Valdesangil or Béjar is a delicious itinerary full of places to photograph or to admire: rocks all over, trees, cows on the fields, etc. down to this village that also offers very interesting examples of popular architecture.

  It is remarkable, as well, the hand made wicker work, chestnut wood work and their natural and traditional pastry.

Sierra de Francia

  Around 35 km away from Valdesangil, the Sierra de Francia environment, which most important centre is the Natural Park of The Batuecas, that includes many unique itineraries: the Peña de Francia (the highest point on the park) with a medieval sanctuary, wonderful villages as La Alberca, Mogarraz, San Martín del Castañar, Miranda del Castañar, Sequeros, San Esteban de la Sierra, etc. are good examples of popular architecture (that it is protected and maintained), their handcraft and their history shown on their numerous heraldic stone shields.

  The Valley of the Batuecas has a monastery and a convent (Saint Joseph), pre-historical paintings on many rock sides, mountain streams that form cascades and water falls, with coloured stones due to the various minerals and a surprising vegetation.

  All over this zone it is possible to observe a very diverse fauna that, besides the omnipresent and protected rapacious, includes goats, wild boars, martin fisher, genets, herons, foxes, weasels, etc.

Roman way

  This 'highway', made by the Roman empire when this country belonged to them, allowed the North to South communication by the occidental part of the iberian peninsula, joining the cantabrian cornice (gold mines at Ponferrada) and the southern harbours. It was the roman way number XXIV, named as 'Iter ab Emerita Asturican' (the way from Mérida to Astorga, two important towns at that time).

   Every roman way, truly engineering works, included all the necessary means to guarantee their use and continuity: bridges, admissible slopes, sewerages and drainages, distance land marks (milliaries), etc. Many of these are still standing and can be observed and, of course, be photographed, which gives the possibility of walk on a 'road' that is more than 2.000 years old at several locations of this country side.

By then there were points, places, villages, prepared for the Armies to be supplied or to rest after different itineraries or campaigns (some of these villages were built specially for those purposes); among them we can remark Béjar that was almost half way of the roman road. Around 45 km going South, Cáparra appears to be a big road crossing with commercial installations. It is remarkable its enormous four legged arch. Now, the continuous excavations are showing how important this population centre was.

  Later on, the Arabian people (muslims) kept on using this highway' and gave it another name that has remained until today: 'Silver way' ('Vía de la Plata') that had nothing to do with the valuable metal, but with the arabian word B'lata that means 'stoned way'. This route was, and it still is, a main way to communicate North and South at the West of the peninsula.

  During the Middle Age the route was used by the pilgrims in their way from the Mediterranean sea to Santiago, taken the name of "Mozarabic way" or "Southern route", which kept alive all the culture and commercial interchanges. Later on, the way was extended to reach Gijón (Asturias) by North and Sevilla at South. 

  By now, the spanish national road N-630 is the modern version of this great communication roman road.