EuroVelo 1
Section 20 Section 22

Section 21 - Extremadura

Galisteo - Cáceres - 77Km

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This second stage of EuroVelo 1 in Extremadura runs from Galisteo along the Vía de la Plata towards Cáceres almost parallel to the old N-630 road. We leave Galisteo through an open landscape of pastures dedicated to extensive cattle raising. We leave behind the small town of Grimaldo and we gradually ascend towards the Puerto de los Castaños, but not before going off the route a little to Pedroso de Acim in order to visit Santa María del Palancar, a monastery founded by San Pedro de Alcántara and which claims to be the smallest in the world; it marks the division between the Sierra de Cañaveral and the valley plain. After having crowned the pass we continue pedalling towards the municipality of Cañaveral. We continue on a track through a pinewood towards the Alcántara II Reservoir, where we can see theAlconetar Roman bridge, one of the oldest in the world with segmental arches.

Our passage over the River Tajo gives us impressive views and we come to Casar de Cáceres, where a stop to recharge our batteries is a must. This town is famous for its Torta del Casar, a delicious creamy cheese with a Protected Denomination of Origin which gives us the strength to carry on. Don’t miss its cheese museum, and if you feel like it visit the Church of La Asunción or take a look at the Bus Station, a building of striking architecture which has become the symbol of this municipality.

We are some 10 kilometres from Cáceres, one of the most beautiful cities in the world; it has been a World Heritage Site since 1986. If we have the chance, a night stroll will give us an unforgettable experience of its historical medieval ensemble with its buildings and plazas which evoke both history and legend and have provided film sets on numerous occasions. This city is full of life and culture and also looks to modernity with the Helga Alvear Collection, one of the most important private ensembles in Europe. Moreover, if you come in May you can also attend the annual edition of the Womad Festival. And if you still have the time and the energy to continue pedalling, only 14 km away you can discover one of the most impressive natural landscapes to be found. Enjoy a well-earned rest while you contemplate the Natural Monument of Los Barruecos, dominated by large granite boulders, which has been the setting for the successful series Game of Thrones. It also features works by the artist Wolf Vostell, a pioneer of the Fluxus artistic movement. You can visit his museum, the Museo Vostell Malpartida.

 

Points of Interest

Heritage: 7

  • On the old Roman road of the 1st to 2nd centuries B.C. a stone bridge was built over the Zangaena Brook; only part of its structure survives.

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  • It is located in a traditional house of the town. With its didactic programme the museum explains to the visitor the history of grazing and the home-made production of a cheese which has become the distinguishing mark of the town and one of the star products of the region. This is the Torta del Casar cheese which has its Protected Denomination of Origin.

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  • It is very large and rather imperfect in shape as it originated as a piece of land between two population centres in the 14th century. It is surrounded by arcades and contains emblematic buildings of the city. It also retains part of the 12th-century Almohad walls. It is a meeting place and the centre of local social and business life; it also provides the gateway to the historical city centre.

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  • It is located in the heart of the city's walled enclosure and is dominated by the façade of the Church of San Francisco Javier. This building can be reached by a flight of steps owing to the considerable difference in height, on which there is a niche with a sculpture of Saint George, the patron saint of the city, on horseback. Cáceres was conquered from the Moslems in 1229 on the night of its feast-day.

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  • This 15th-century palace is located within the monumental enclosure and has two towers, one with a defensive machicolation. The decoration of its façade is in 16th-century plateresque style and it is crowned by fantastic cresting and has several noble coats of arms. One of the latter, on the mullion of the double window, is that of the Catholic Monarchs as they stayed here whenever they visited the city.

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  • A 12th-century battlemented tower which dominates the Plaza Mayor and is part of the Almohad city walls of Cáceres. Its name comes from that of the caliph Abu Yaqub, the conqueror of the city in 1173. It currently houses the interpretation centre of the three cultures which explains the history of the city.

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  • It explores the cultural heritage of the province from the Palaeolithic to current artistic work. It occupies the buildings of the Casa de las Veletas, which was built in the 15th century on the site of a former Almohad citadel, and the Casa de los Caballos, formerly stables. It has an impressive Almohad cistern below the porticoed patio.

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Nature: 2

  • Barely ten kilometres off the route stands the natural monument of Los Barruecos, a spectacular natural creation to which man has also contributed. This is a space of flat relief dotted with pools and of granite anticlines which make up this uniquely evocative landscape, known worldwide as the scenario for the Game of Thrones series.

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  • The lesser kestrel is the second smallest falcon in the world (it is smaller than a dove) and the only bird of prey to nest in colonies in built-up areas, preferably on historic buildings. The medieval quarter of Cáceres is an ideal enclave for its observation between late February and early August.

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Gastronomy and wine: 1

  • This is one of the best cheeses in the world with its epicentre in the town of Casar de Cáceres. It is a natural cheese made by traditional methods and based on raw ewe's milk from controlled farms, vegetable rennet, and salt. Its main characteristic is its highly creamy texture, which means that at certain times of the ripening process it must be bound to prevent the paste, which is between ivory and white in colour, from flowing out through the cracks of the still soft rind.

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Shops and cycling services: 5

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Section 21

Galisteo - Cáceres - 77Km: 77

  • Elevation
  • Heritage
  • Nature
  • Shops and cycling services