Routes

It was here, along these paths and inviting tracks, that I encountered friendship and good wishes, brave and gallant, selfassuredmen and beautiful loving women, clouds crisscrossed by the parsimoniously flying stork and by the hot-air balloon borne man...”

Thus Camilo José Cela glossed this land, La Alcarria, in 1948 and that had been his home during ten years and which he had already discovered as a young writer, singing its praises in his famous and celebrated work “Journey to the Alcarria”. Sixty years after its publication the Alcarreña region described by the Spanish Nobel Prize recipient combines Guadalajara’s current modern society with the warmth of its people, the charm of its landscape and the remembrance of its historical and cultural heritage, unvaried by time.

Guadalajara, “river of stones, as it was called by the Arabs, capital of La Alcarria, name of whichmeans “highland terrain, flat and devoid of grass”, crowns the cereal and vineyard replete plateau, dotted with helm oaks. The soft rolling meadows of its horizon are only altered by the canyons, narrows and valleys created by the source of the Tajo River over thousands of years of continuous flowing. The Dukes of the Appanage left behind a magnificent legacy in the city, symbolized by the emblematic Palacio del Infantado,main homestead of the Mendoza. A building plagued by architectonic contrasts, with Gothic and Renaissance elements, with its gorgeous Los Leones courtyard surrounded by colonnades, façade of which is decoratedwith its famous stone carved faceted heads offers the best known image of the city.

To the south, once the infinity of hamlets nestled amongst seas of vineyards are left behind, a villa branded by vestiges of its past is to be found. A stroll through Pastrana is evocative of the history of a land forged by its dwellers throughout the centuries. The powerful Order of Calatrava was conducive to Pastrana reaching a privileged position in 12th Century Castilla (Castile), symbolized by the construction of the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Church, current Collegiate Church. However, the greatest height reached by this villa was with the domain of the Dukes of Pastrana and the Princes of Eboli, Ducal Palace of which has been turned into the greatest artistic reference in the area. The Palace was also the prison of the Princess of Eboli, put under lock and key because of her palace intrigues during the reign of Felipe II. A walk through the narrow streets of Pastrana’s ancient quarter is amust, quarter that has been worthy of being declared a Historic ArtisticWorld Heritage Site, where we can find the San Francisco and San Jose Convents, founded by Santa Teresa and the ancient neighborhood of Albaicín.

The medieval influence is still present in the villages of La Alcarria, as is likewise the case in the Castles of Almoguera, Pioz and Zorita de Canes or in the legacy of the Mendoza, represented by the live heritage ofMondéjar. In this Alcarreña location the ancient chapel of San Sebastian is deserving of a visit, from where the crypt that conserves Passion of Christ floats of astounding realism can be accessed. Apart from this heritage, the Archeological Park of the Visigoth city of Recópolis is to be found in Zorita.

Visiting the impressive examples of Romanesque art that this region custodies, such as the Cistercian Monastery of Monsalud in Córcoles, the Lupiana Monastery or the historical heritage ofBrihuega, fruit of the power exercised by the Castilian monarchs and nobility of old.

Enjoying excursions through the extraordinary landscapes formed by the Tajo River and leisure and nature activities in the numerous reservoirs to be found, such as Entrepeñas and Buendía, Almoguera, Zorita de los Canes or Bolarque

Trying inmemory of Cela, ”…a delightful glass of wine that not onlywets ourwhistle to help the braised lamb go down, but also overcomes lovesickness due to the ins and outs, labyrinths and remaining twists and turns of the heart”. And of course, the traditional deserts such as bizcochos borrachos (drowned sponge cakes), and indeed the rich La Alcarria honey or olive oil,which enjoy their own Denominations of Origin.