Cantavieja
Worth an overnight, and worth walking out of for a few hours on the old paths.
The best-preserved walled village in Aragón, on a rock above a valley of almond and stone.
At a Glance
Cantavieja is built on a rock above its own valley and still enclosed by stretches of wall and gate, which is why it was the Carlist capital of the Maestrazgo in the nineteenth century. The Plaza Mayor is arcaded and steeply sloping, the church is improbably large for the population, and the lanes behind it are stone and almost free of traffic. Stay the night: the village empties in the afternoon and the light on the walls at dusk is the reason to be here. Cold in winter, hot and dry in summer, with one hotel and a couple of places to eat.
How it got here
The village occupies a strategic position above the Cañada valley that determined its role during the Carlist Wars. General Ramón Cabrera chose this elevated outcrop as his headquarters during the nineteenth century conflicts between traditionalists and the liberal state. The stone fortifications and the defensive layout of the old quarter date from this period of turmoil. Before the nineteenth century, the settlement formed part of the Commanderies of the Order of the Temple, who administered the land under the Aragonese crown. These layers of ecclesiastical and military oversight dictated the scale of the stone architecture that survives today.
Where it sits
The village sits at the edge of the Maestrazgo, a rugged terrain of limestone canyons and oak forests that straddles the border between Teruel and Castellón. Roads climb through windswept plateaus before reaching the rock walls of the town. Summer heat parches the surrounding slopes, but the elevation keeps evenings cool. Winter brings sharp frost and thin air, emptying the lanes of visitors. Silence defines the place outside of the brief holiday months. The surrounding landscape provides a buffer of limestone ridges that isolate the village from the traffic of the lowlands.
What to eat and drink
The cuisine centers on the produce of the high Teruel ranges. Ternasco, young milk-fed lamb roasted with potatoes, provides the foundation for most meals. Cooks prepare migas de pastor, breadcrumbs fried with garlic and pork fat, often served with grapes to cut the salt. Cured ham, Jamón de Teruel, originates from the pigs raised in these mountain climates and carries a distinct, dry cure. Local wine from the nearby Bajo Aragón region serves as the common accompaniment. Simple fruit preserves and honey from the surrounding wild rosemary and thyme thickets finish the table.
Aragón: the whole region
Three landscapes in one region: the Pyrenees and their canyons in the north, the dry Ebro plain with Zaragoza at its centre, and the high, empty south where Teruel's villages and the Maestrazgo stand. It is the least-visited half of…
Minimum 4 days · better 7-8 days · deep 10-12 days
In Aragón
In Aragón
In Aragón
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