Day out to Villa de Arco and Coria with optional trip to Alcántara

This is a rather long trip for one day but can be split into two separate trips as there is a lot  to see.

From the finca we went straight to Caceres and then on to the turn off at Cañaveral, then into the sierra to reach the quaint hamlet of Villa de Arco with its perfect white washed church, mountain spring water running in the steets and an aire of being untouched for centuries. We left early, straight on to the autovia to Caceres and then continued to the exit for CAÑAVERAL 

 

The best way to approach is by walking from the turn off camino on the right just before the village, very charming entrance straight into the heart of the village. 

Here is an earlier post with a lot more photos, especially of the church and views.

https://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com/2019/10/an-echo-from-past-abandoned-village-in.html 

On to Coria but two stops on the way which are both well worth the time.

1. Palancar at  Pedroso de Acim is a tiny monastery where San Pedro de Alcantara stayed,  it is a turn off the  road to left once on road to Coria.

Detailed information here 

https://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com/2009/12/short-trip-to-very-small-monastery.html

2. The pottery in Torrejoncillo, Tinajas de Moreno, they make the huge wine alibaba pots and clay bread ovens as well as small ceramic items and tiles

https://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-visit-to-our-favourite-potter.html

Coria a very under estimated historical town on the Alagón river, a strategic point founded by the Romans in the first century with large stretches of Roman walls still existing, further embellished by suceeding cultures, Visigoths, Moors and re-conquista Christians.The whole of the old town is very atmospheric within the ancient walls with 4 original entrance gates. It is now famous for the  running of the bulls during the feast of San Juan in June, bulls are well represented  everywhere.The 16th century cathedral has just been renovated and has an interesting museum. Good places to eat and drink with a restaurant and bar terraça at the archbishop's palace overlooking the river.

Here is an early post about Coria which also includes a side trip to the wonderful Trevejo castle.

https://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com/2020/03/trip-to-coria-and-castle-of-trevejo-in.html

At this point one can return to Caceres and Finca al-manzil or continue to Alcántara with its eponymous Roman bridge, named by the Moors al-Qanṭarah (القنطرة) meaning "the bridge".  A really interesting town also famous for being the birth place of San Pedro de Alcántara  in 1499.

Main sights

Alcántara Bridge, of six symmetrical arches, 194 m long and 71 m high, built in honour of Trajan in 103-106. An inscription gives the name of the architect of the viaduct, C. Iulius Lacer.

Convent of San Benito de Alcántara (16th century)

Church of Holy Mother of Almocobar (13th century)

Remains of the Moorish walls, modified and restored in the Middle Ages

Convent of St. Francis (15th-17th centuries)

Convent of the Nuns of Los Remedios, of which only the Baroque Chapel remains

Here are more places to visit from Alcántara

https://finca-al-manzil.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_8689.html 

Route Map of this trip

BIZARRE FIESTA IN ACEUCHE-BEAUTIES AND THE BEASTS

On January 20th the feast of San Sebastian is celebrated in the small rural community of Aceuche in the Caceres province. The image of the saint is carried from the church of San Sebastian and taken around the village on a float, he is rather fetchingly bound to a real orange tree loaded with fruit, his usual rather campy pose with long suffering uplifted eyes is well in evidence, strangely this image is not pierced with arrows. So far so usual............but the extraordinary elements of this fiesta are the carantoñas, wild creatures clad in goat skin with hideous masks dripping in masculine fertility symbols; horns, tusks, red hot chili peppers!  They brandish little thorny branches from the wild olive trees, aceuches. They run around chasing the girls but are rather encumbered, it takes 3 people to dress each carantoña. In other words another pagan festival disguised as a Christian saint's day. A festival to drive out the winter and welcome the spring with suitable fertility symbolism, much fun and joy.
 A really unique fiesta in Extremadura and well worth a visit to welcome the spring once again...........the storks are coming back and there is almond blossom budding.

 

LOS BARRUECOS NATURAL MONUMENT & THE WOLF VOSTELL MUSEUM

The Los Barruecos Natural Monument is in the middle of the Cáceres plain on the road to Portugal going west.

A spectacular natural creation that man has helped to shape. The unique undulating landscape is dotted with lakes and enormous granite boulders.

Los Barruecos has been declared a Natural Monument because of the beauty of its landscape with strange and eerie  granite formations sculpted by water and wind. 

Water has played an essential part in creating this unique natural habitat for numerous animal species, White storks and the grey herons find this an ideal place for their prolific colonies.

This has also been an ideal place for human settlement, as demonstrated by the many archaeological remains dating from the Neolithic through the Roman period and into 19th century. 

The 18th century wool processing factory (now the Wolf Vostell museum) was a major focus for the trashumancia, the herding of sheep down to Extremadura every winter from Asturias and Galicia. Here they were shorn and the wool washed  using  the abundant water from a natural lake sustained by making a dam and channeling the water into a huge boiler where it was heated to wash the lanolin from the wool, it was then packed into bales and distributed all over Spain.
A number of routes have been created through this vast expanse with differing durations and itineraries.

The Peñas del Tesoro route starts at the Vostell-Malpartida Museum and ends at the Peñas del Tesoro, skirting the Barrueco de Abajo lake. This is the most popular route, lasting just 30 minutes.

It passes one of Wolf Vostell's installations, typically car+ concrete+ impact

The Barrueco de Arriba route is a little longer. This is a 1 hour route around the lake that gives it its name.

But if you are looking for something more demanding, other routes take between 2 and 3 hours.

If you visit Los Barruecos, don't miss out on the Vostell-Malpartida museum, which houses a unique collection, consisting mainly of the work of the German artist Wolf Vostell who made his home and studio at an 18th century wool washing complex, a fascinating group of buildings which now house the collection.

 Wolf Vostell is the father of this museum, as he was for the Dé-coll/age technique, the European Happening, the Fluxus Movement and video-art. His art has a special spark to it – an unmistakable touch of originality –  discover it for yourself, art students, historians and general public visit this unique collection from all over the world, we are lucky to have it so close by.

The museum is made up of two noteworthy collections. The first of them, called Wolf y Mercedes Vostell, contains several works of art entailing elements of fetishistic symbology from our times, such as the car, television or concrete, transformed to warn us of the shadows and conflicts enclosed in the society we live in. Examples of works of this type are "Concrete Bull", "The Thirsty Dead Man" or the garden sculpture, "Why Did The Trial Between Pilate And Jesus Take Only 2 Minutes?"

The Fluxus collection – which was donated to Extremadura by the Italian collector, Gino di Maggio – is made up of a group of 250 works by 31 North American, European and Asian artists. 

The whole collection by conceptual artists contains 60 works, including pictures, picture-objects, sculptures and installations belonging to 48 artists that have had a special connection to the Vostell Malpartida Museum activities since it started in 1976. 

I have visited many times but always find a new message, something I had not noticed before. It's a great day's excursion combined with a walk around the lake and then a visit to Caceres and its monumental city. 
Only 40 minutes from Finca al-manzil.

CACERES MEDIEVAL MARKET

SEMANA SANTA

A very wet week for this years holy week, what a shame, all the preparation of pristine robes and beautifully decorated floats now looking very bedraggled in the constant showers with little sun in between.
The best time to see the processions is at night, somehow the rain doesn't seem to matter so much although the candles and lanterns splutter and the barefooted penitents have to splash thorough puddles. The sombre drum beats and dolorous brass bands certainly seem in tune with the dreary weather. We watched for a little while but quickly retreated into a bar heaving with de-hooded brotherhoods and gorgeous senoritas wearing their towering mantillas, noise level off the scale as usual but who cares?  Despite the underlying solemnity and undoubted fervent faith behind so many Spanish fiestas there is always a great atmosphere of joy aided by lots of alcohol and delicious food. What more can one ask......drama, mystery, bizarre costumes, flowers, candles, incense, music AND wonderful wine and food. Pity about the rain but the sun will be shining again very soon.