Some towns reveal themselves from a distance. Belmonte Castle and Old Town is one of them. Before you reach its narrow streets, you see the castle on the hillside, watching over the plain with the calm authority of a place that has seen centuries pass. Set in the heart of Castilla-La Mancha, on the famous Ruta del Quijote, Belmonte combines literary memory, noble architecture and one of Spain’s most striking medieval fortresses. It is known as the birthplace of the Renaissanc
Some towns ask for a quick look. Villanueva de la Jara asks for a slow walk. Its streets, squares, churches, hermitages and old houses tell the story of a Castilian municipality that once stood close to the centre of royal politics, then later became part of a major spiritual route linked to Saint Teresa of Ávila. Set in the province of Cuenca, in Castilla-La Mancha, Villanueva de la Jara rewards attention. A carved coat of arms above a doorway, a balcony casting shade over a