Fregenal de la Sierra, illustrious town

Owing to its strategic situation, at the foot of the Sierra Morena mountain range and bordering northern Huelva and the Portuguese region of Alentejo, Fregenal de la Sierra served as a crossroads in the past for different peoples and cultures. Fregenal came to form part of the Celtic Beturia in Roman times. A fact testified to by the extremely important Nertóbriga site, where remains were uncovered of a settlement occupied from the 1st century BC to the early centuries of the Christian era.

You can start your visit from the Templar castle, which houses the bullring and market. The fact is the Order of the Temple established itself in Fregenal when the town became a part of the Kingdom of Seville, after shaking off the Moorish domination. Fregenal did not become part of Extremadura until 1833.

Attached to the castle you have the Church of Santa María, considered to be the town's main church. Nevertheless, it is the Church of Santa Ana which boasts one of the most brilliant works of the 16th century in Lower Extremadura. Namely, the main altarpiece, a Plateresque triptych attributed to the Flemish artist Roque de Balduque, which depicts scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary and the Passion of Christ. In one of its Neo-classical style chapels lie the remains of the one of Fregenal's most famous sons, the politician, Juan Bravo Murillo.

On your way to the Church of Santa Catalina, where you will find the "Cristo del Perdón" crucifix, attributed to the Martínez Montañés school, you can enjoy the attractive ancestral homes in Santa María and Santa Ana neighbourhoods. There is a special route you can take around the streets of Fregenal to see those houses of particular interest. The Jesuit College and the La Paz and San Francisco convents are also worth a visit.

Of course, you should not miss out on a visit to the Sanctuary of the Virgen de los Remedios, with its room dedicated to illustrious sons, a portrait gallery created on the initiative of the priest, Rafael Martín Moreno. The Gothic image of the Virgen de los Remedios is holding "Luquitas" in her arms, as the Child Jesus is popularly known in honour of a bullfighter called Lucas, who donated it.

Don't forget to pack of pair of binoculars in your luggage, as well as a bird guide, given that there is a birdwatchers' route in Fregenal de la Sierra on which you may come across over thirty species of bird throughout the town.

If you're more of a country person, you may well prefer to explore Fregenal's trail network, along the length and breadth of which you can enjoy lush pastures where you'll come across Iberian pigs rooting about, the same ones from which rich local hams and cold cuts come. Also typical of the area are "migas" (fried breadcrumbs) for breakfast; "guarrito frito" (chunks of fried suckling pig) and "engazpachao" cod as an appetizer; a good casserole or a "mandanga de revoltillos" (lamb stomach pieces) and lamb's feet, washed down with a good local wine and for dessert, "perrunillas" (biscuits), flowers or just some normal everyday pastries.

The Festival Internacional de la Sierra is one of the local cultural events worthy of note, attracting as it does folk, music and dance lovers to Fregenal every August. The uniqueness of the event has seen it declared a fiesta of tourist interest in Extremadura. Indeed, it is considered to be one of the top fifteen festivals in all Spain.