RUTA VÍA DE LA PLATA

STAGE 5: VILLAFRANCA DE LOS BARROS - TORREMEJÍA - MÉRIDA

Distancia: 38,0 Km.

Difficulty: Medium/Low

Distance: 21, 0 Km.

 

CONTENTS:

• STATEMENT
• WHAT TO EAT
• SHOPPING
• WALKING, PEDALLING AND HORSE RIDING
• ALTERNATIVE ROUTES
• SURROUNDING AREA

STATEMENT OF THE ITINERARY

From the La Coronada Hermitage in Villafranca de los Barros we look for the route towards Torremejía, along the “de las Vegas” public path, also know as “vereda de la Calzada Romana”, which has its start point in the fairground.

 

This wide path is quickly interrupted by the BA-6004 road. We continue to follow this path, which for many kilometres runs almost parallel to the A-66 and the railway line. For company we have large fields of vines and to the right the Bonhabal brook.

After around 6 km, at the same time as well move away from the A-66 and the railway, the recommended path joins the old roman route which accompanies us until we reach Torremejía. A little more than 1 km later we cross a brook and leave a small reed bed to our right. The pathway, between vines and the red earth which is typical of this area, is splashed with rocks, some used to line up the vines and some simply piled up next to the path.

Once we are 13 km from Villafranca de los Barros we find a H3 sign on our right which provides information about the city of Almendralejo, which can be made out relatively close on our left, and a green-yellow H1 which shows us the way to Torremejía. A little further on we find a water tank to our right and we meet the C-423 road which connects Almendralejo with Alange. We continue in the direction shown by the green-yellow signs and around 10.5 km further on we reach Torremejía.

In this final stretch we find several crossroads that are well signed and, within 2 km of Torremejía, we cross a brook whose waters also run under a railway bridge that is parallel to our route.

One kilometre further on we pass over the railway line and in front of us we can make out the town of Torremejía with its Vía de la Plata Tourist Hostel. This is signposted from the street called calle Gabriel y Galán, the sign for which can be seen before arriving at the football pitch on the right. This hostel is located in “los Lastra” house-palace, also known as “palacio de los Mexía” which is in renaissance style and was declared a Building of Cultural Interest in the monument category in 1995.

Our attention is drawn to the building’s façade which includes some embedded sepulchral roman arches next to heraldic shields and on the right hand side of the main door there are some fragments of togas from the roman era which in the sixteenth century were used to decorate the building.

Torremejía, in common with many of the neighbouring towns, has its origin in the repopulation carried out by the Christian Kings after retaking these lands from the Muslims. In 1480 Diego García Torres y Mejías founded this town, which as well as the already mentioned Mexía palace also contains the sixteenth century Ntra. Sra. de La Concepción parish church, the most important religious building in the town. Along “calle de la Calzada" Street, behind the petrol station, for a few kilometres the route towards Mérida runs parallel to the original route of the A-66 and passes in front of the municipal cemetery which stands amongst the olive groves.

At 3 km from Torremejía we cross a stream and leave a bridge to our left. A few metres further on we should pass the road which joins the A-66. Once we have passed the road to Alange we continue along an asphalt stretch until we arrive at a level crossing with a fixed barrier. We cross this and continue our route which is shown on two signs on either side of the railway barriers.

At the end of the now almost disused stretch of asphalt we continue for 650 m, after which we take the A-66 for 3 km. At this point there is a yellow sign to our right which shows us the way to Mérida. This is once again indicated a few metres further on. After little more than 50 m the pathway turns to the left between some ruined houses and modern agricultural facilities and we walk through mulberry and almond trees while the pathway through the cereals and the vines moves away from the A-66. This allows us to see in the distance the towns of Calamonte to our left and Don Álvaro, Alange and La Zarza to our right.

A triangulation station to our left and various yellow signs show us the path to follow, from which we can start to make out Mérida in the distance. We arrive there after a slightly downhill stretch which leaves behind a small eucalyptus copse, a livestock farm and a narrowing of the route between bramble patches and a parallel stream to our right.

We turn right after this narrowing and enter a wide path, between lampposts and country houses, which we follow for 2 km until we reach the Alange road, entering Mérida in parallel to the river Guadiana. Here we can look for the impressive roman bridge for the city which in Roman times was called Emerita Augusta and was the Imperial Capital of the Roman Province of Lusitania.

Crossing this historic bridge, we enter the Plaza de Roma square and from here, before the roundabout where a statue in honour of the emperor Octavio Augusto stands, we can visit the Vía de la Plata Interpretation Centre located at the Morerías Archaeological site. Here the visitor can find interesting information about this communication route and the city.

Mérida, capital of the Roman province of Lusitania, was founded in 25 BC to house the veteran soldiers of the V Alaudae and X Germina legions. It was called Emerita Augusta after the emperor Octavio Augusto, who granted these soldiers the privilege of starting this colony next to the river Guadiana. Over time it would become one of the most important administrative and political centres in the Roman world.

The following centuries would provide Roman Emerita Augusta with a range of civil, military and religious buildings, some destroyed or changed by later cultures, which today, thanks to some magnificent restoration and conservation work, can be admired in their original locations throughout the city. These helped this impressive Old Town to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.

Once the visit to the Morerías Archaeological site has been completed, the walker has the opportunity to enjoy a long walk through the city of Mérida, the capital of Extremadura, and discover the roman theatre, constructed between 16 and 15 BC with a capacity of 6,000 spectators, and the amphitheatre, built in 8 BC which has room for 14,000 people.

Only a few metres from these superb monuments, visitors can find the Museo Nacional de Arte Romano which is a vital part of any visit to Mérida. The city tour then continues and passes Casa del Mitreo, Casa del Anfiteatro, and the majestic Circus, built in 8 BC, which has a forum with space for 30,000 spectators and an excellent Interpretation Centre. Close to the Circus is the San Lázaro aqueduct, the remains of the old Visigoth hospital Xenodoquium, Santa Eulalia basilica, with its venerated “Hornito” in honour of this Mérida martyr, constructed using the remains of an old temple dedicated to the God Mars.

The city is full of other monuments from the Roman era, such as the Trajano Arch, the Diana temple and the aforementioned roman bridge over the river Guadiana. Also to be found are other historical gems from later periods such as: the ninth century Arabic fortress, the conventual of the Santiago Order, the thirteenth century Santa María Cathedral and the Museum of Visigoth Art. These historical and artistic urban scenes contribute to the spectacle of Easter Week here which has been declared to be an Extremaduran Festival of Interest to Tourists.

While leaving the city towards Carrascalejo, crossing another roman bridge but this time over the river Albarregas, we can make out the majestic “los Milagros” aqueduct which is 830 metres long and 25m high. This transported waters from the Proserpina lake, held by the well preserved Roman dam.

WHAT TO EAT

In Aceuchal it could be no other than the sopa de ajos (garlic soup) and the so called “sopa de antruejos”, (carnival soup) which is so typical of the carnivals and so impressive in its composition. In los Santos de Maimona, the cod dish called “el bacalao a la cantina”. In Fuente del Maestre “el adobo de guarrino” and the mushroom stew “la caldereta de setas”. In Villafranca de los Barros, the gazpacho (cold soup).

SHOPPING

Villafranca de los Barros is known for the delicacy of its embroidered products. Here visitors can also buy the typical sweets from the area, such as prestiños, perrunillas and flores, which are combined with honey.

WALKING, PEDALLING AND HORSE RIDING

The recommended hiking route in this district is 4 kilometres long and takes approximately two hours. The difficulty is medium to low. This route is recommended in Autumn, Winter and Spring.

The route starts in the outskirts of Hornachos, in the highest part of the town. The exact location is the water feature “Fuente de los Moros”, constructed on the site of a spring which comes from the Sierra la Sillá mountain range. Next to this is a magnificently restored washhouse. We ascend gently, leaving on our left some important shelters which house the famous la Sillá cave paintings which are open to the public.

We continue our route, largely along stone pathways, and on our left we find the Peñón de Marín and the spot called Los Corraletes, the highest point on our route with an altitude of around 800 metres, and we can make out some juniper and cork oak forests.

After almost 2 kilometres we go up the side of El Carrascal and we join the Camino de los Escalones, the old route which connected the Arab towns of Hornachos and Toledo. From here we can see the magnificent outline of the Sierra Grande mountain range.

Through the Senda Moruna we walk between the Salto de la Moza and the Peñón de la Campana, and in front of us we can see, in the direction of Hornachos, the beautiful site that was once a magnificent Arab fortress and which invites us to come closer. From there we can make out the old Fornacis, the native land of one of the most important groups of Moors that lived on the Iberian Peninsular before they were forced to move to land close to the current capital of Morocco, Rabat.

The final point on our route takes us to the Mirador del Pósito lookout point back in the town of Hornachos.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES

Through Tierra de Barros

Tierra de Barros is one of the most fertile districts in Extremadura and is crossed by the N-630, the old Vía de la Plata. It stands as a true geographic transition between the fertile plains of Guadiana and the mountain ranges found further south in Extremadura.

The route is full of history and visitors can discover important towns dating back to the Middle Ages, when the Military Orders ruled this area from the time of the Reconquista, which have retained a large part of their historical and artistic legacy.

Large areas of well cared for vines are used in the production of famous wines from Tierra de Barros.

There is no shortage of good food and the Las Candelas and La Cruz festivals are famed throughout the region. Hiking, paragliding, fishing and sailing in its reservoirs are also attractive options for visitors.

SURROUNDING AREA

The Countryside around the stretch of the Vía de la Plata from Villafranca de los Barros to Mérida is that typically found in the Tierra de Barros area, one of the most productive agricultural districts in Extremadura across which, almost uniformly, there are hundreds of hectares devoted to the cultivation of olives and vines. These two crops logically give rise to the creation of famous Ribera del Guadiana Denomination of Origin wines and to one of the largest European productions of table olives and excellent and highly valued olive oil.

This fame in terms of wine production not only belongs to Almendralejo, but also to other towns such as Villalba, Solana de los Barros, Santa Marta, Aceuchal and Nogales, towns which also contain religious, military and civil buildings that speak, as we have found on other parts of our route, of the presence of the Order of Santiago, the Templars and the Señorío de Feria.

This focus on agriculture has been a feature of the district since historical times and the quality of its products is even mentioned in ancient scripts. This is not to forget the countryside which includes beautiful isolated mountain ranges and large plains where the main tree species to be found is the holm oak, in which numerous bird species nest. Many of these can be seen on our route.

Almendralejo, capital of this district of Tierra de Barros was founded in medieval times and in the mid-fourteenth century it attained the rank of “Encomienda”(fortress community) in the Santiago Order. Among its most important historical buildings are its sixteenth century La Purificación parish church, the Ntra. Sra. de la Piedad Hermitage and the Marqués de Monsalud Palace. In early February Almendralejo holds the Las Candelas festival, declared an Extremaduran Festival of Interest to Tourists.

Close by is the Vía de la Plata and to the east we can find the roman town of Alange whose thermal baths have been declared a Monument of National Interest. They form part of one of the historically most attractive spas on the Iberian Peninsular, located just a few metres from the Pantano de Alange reservoir, a beautiful spot for water sports and fishing.

Next to the town, and close to Zarza, is the Sierra de La Calderita mountain range with its schematic cave paintings of great historical and artistic value and its Arab paintings found in the mountains around Alange castle.

Mudejar art is represented by three magnificent religious pieces in the towns of Alange, Palomas, Puebla de la Reina and Hornachos.