#MAGICALVILLAGES-Route of Discovery, Iberian Ham & The Dehesa

Arrival at the rural accommodation that we choose for you to enjoy a GENUINE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE ON THE ROUTE OF DISCOVERY, IBERIAN HAM AND THE PASTURE. This journey will immerse you in the history of the discovery of America, the tradition of exquisite Iberian ham and the beauty of the pastureland, revealing the treasures found in each village on this unique route. We start in Cumbres Mayores. Built on a leafy hill, it is a cattle and farming village. Between graceful popular houses and noble mansions, the oak groves where the famous Iberian pig is bred appear. You will arrive at the end of the afternoon at the accommodation we chose with time to rest a little before going out for dinner, in a Typical Restaurant. Return to the accommodation.

Have an early breakfast and set off to discover Cumbres Mayores. We start by visiting the Castle-fortress of Sancho IV El Bravo. We are in front of one of the most outstanding symbols of Cumbres Mayores. Its construction is dated 1293. Its entrance impresses the senses, being flanked by its two towers of majestic height and crowned by a perfect barrel arch. Its simplicity and robustness make the elegance of the medieval past of the place indisputable. We will continue with our tour and visit the San Miguel Arcángel Parish Church. This church is located within the urban center, in the Plaza de Portugal, in the highest area of the town, and is liturgically oriented from East to West. The interior is arranged in a rectangular plan with a single nave and a polygonal apse, of great depth and raised on a podium. We will end our tour admiring the Doorway of the Convent of Santa Clara. Only the façade that reflects a Late Gothic style of the fifteenth century of one of the most important convent buildings in Cumbres Mayores is preserved. Then we will invite you to eat a typical dish of the region, in a typical restaurant. After lunch we say goodbye to Cumbres Mayores and continue to the next Magical Town on our route, Puerto Moral. Puerto Moral, in the heart of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche. Traditionally, it has been said that the town arose around an inn located on the Camino de San Salvador, which linked Aracena with the Vía de la Plata. You will arrive at the end of the afternoon at the accommodation we chose with time to rest a little before going out for dinner, in a Typical Restaurant. Return to the accommodation.

Have an early breakfast and set off to discover Puerto Moral. We start by visiting the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul S. XIV-XV. The parish church is the main religious and artistic building in Puerto Moral. The Junta de Andalucía declared it an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC). Within its walls, it houses interesting altarpieces and the images of the titular saints, co-patrons of the town and the Virgen de la Cabeza, also patron saint and Perpetual Honorary Mayor, in whose honor the two main festivals of Puerto Moral are celebrated. We will continue to the Barranco 'La Madrona' Recreational Area. It is located to the south of the town of Puerto Moral, right at the entrance to the town. On its perimeter are the two restored rodezno mills. One of them has even been equipped with a recreation of the machinery with which the milling was carried out. This area has a series of wooden bridges that allow the visitor to observe the details of the course of the ravine, which runs between "puddles" and waterfalls, in the middle of a modest karst model. After this walk we will visit the Recreational Area El Jardín Botánico 'Los Nogales'. It was born from an initiative to value the lands of the municipal ejido. Now, this space, which can be walked freely, has been endowed with various native species of trees, shrubs and other plants, including some aromatic and medicinal ones. Then we will invite you to eat a typical dish of the region, in a typical restaurant. After lunch we say goodbye to Puerto Moral and continue to the next Magical Town on our Route, Higuera de la Sierra. Gateway to the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park, Higuera de la Sierra is a mountain village, white with lime and flowers, with a municipal area of 24 km2. You will arrive at the end of the afternoon at the accommodation we chose with time to rest a little before going out for dinner, in a Typical Restaurant. Return to the accommodation.

Have an early breakfast and go out to discover the Higuera de la Sierra Bullring. Attached to the hermitage of Santo Cristo, it dates from 1887, where the famous bullfighting festival of Higuera de la Sierra was celebrated. It is a square of popular architecture that, due to its enclave and beauty, is one of the great heritage attractions of the town. The bullfighting roots of the town have come together in this square where the great figures of national bullfighting have passed. We will end our tour by visiting the Interpretation Center Museum of the Cavalcade. This center has become the town's tourist office and attracts hundreds of visitors every year eager to learn about the most emblematic cultural manifestation and ethnological recreations. In its facilities you can enjoy six rooms that welcome you to move back in time and make you feel the spectacularity with which Higuera is decorated every January 5. You can also find in the building a shop selling local products and souvenirs of the Cavalcade. Then we will invite you to eat a typical dish of the region, in a typical restaurant. After lunch we say goodbye to Higuera de la Sierra and continue to the next Magical Town on our Route, Cortegana. To discover the "Magic of Cortegana" is to travel with the senses and the soul open to know, feel, live the experience of a living village in the Sierra de Huelva. A people that has been surpassing itself in the different stages of history. You will arrive at the end of the afternoon at the accommodation we chose with time to rest a little before going out for dinner, in a Typical Restaurant. Return to the accommodation.

Have an early breakfast and set off to discover Cortegana. Watching over Cortegana is its Castle. Of medieval origin and declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, it played an important role as a border castle in the so-called "Galician Band" which, along the border with Portugal, defended the Kingdom of Castile and the city of Seville. Completely restored and visitable, it adds the interest of magnificent views of the town centre and the mountains. Next to the castle is the Hermitage of the Virgen de la Piedad, Patron Saint of Cortegana, originally from the thirteenth century; It is a beautiful and simple temple that was probably the first Christian presence in these lands. Already in the urban area, we find the Church of the Divine Savior (XIV century), parish church of Cortegana, surprising for its large dimensions and the presence of different architectural styles that have enriched it with the evolution of history; it is worth highlighting among the many works of art that it houses inside, the lavish iron grille, among which the extraordinary seventeenth-century pulpit stands out, considered one of the best in all of Andalusia and which gives the temple an extraordinary size. Cortegana also has important civil buildings of notable interest, among which the "Casa Mudéjar" from the fifteenth century stands out, converted into a sample of the simple life of another era. The Plaza de Toros from 1854 (one of the oldest in Spain), the Gran Casino and the Nuevo Casino from the early twentieth century. Walking through its streets you will be able to appreciate stately facades such as Casa Estrada and enjoy the different historical fountains that will surround you on its water route. Then we will invite you to eat a typical dish of the region, in a typical restaurant. After lunch we say goodbye to Cortegana and head to the last Magical Town of our route, Minas de Riotinto. It is a unique place where mining and history meet in an extraordinary landscape. You will arrive at the end of the afternoon at the accommodation we chose with time to rest a little before going out for dinner, in a Typical Restaurant. Return to the accommodation.

Have an early breakfast and go out to discover Minas de Riotinto. We start our tour at the Mining Museum of Riotinto, where we immerse ourselves in the fascinating history of this region. We learn about the formation of the Tinto River, the impact of mining, and the lives of the people who worked here. We stop for a moment to admire the exhibits and understand how this place has shaped its surroundings. From the museum, we head to the English Quarter of Bella Vista, an area that seems to transport us to the nineteenth century. We walked through its quiet streets, admiring the Victorian houses and the Anglican church. We imagine how the British who came here to work in mining lived. It is like being in another world, in the heart of Andalusia!, We continue walking towards Corta Atalaya, and the view that awaits us leaves us speechless. In front of us stretches one of the largest open-air craters in Europe, with its ochre and reddish tones that seem to have come from another planet. We stop to take photos and learn about the importance of this mine, which was key in the history of mining in Spain. After cutting Atalaya, we continue to the Peña de Hierro, where the landscape continues to surprise us. Here, we find a small reddish lake, one of the most visible traces of mining activity. We explore the nearby galleries and enjoy the contrast between nature and industrial vestiges. We continue our route to the viewpoint of the Tinto River. The reddish waters of the river, the result of the high concentration of minerals, offer us an impressive view. We take a moment to enjoy the surroundings and reflect on the interaction between human activity and nature. Finally, we return to the urban center with an appetite that asks for something special. We went to eat in a typical restaurant. After lunch, we say goodbye to Minas de Riotinto and head to the last Magical Town on our route, Palos de la Frontera. The Cultural and Historical Heritage that defines this municipality is unbeatable to immerse yourself in the great feat of the Discovery of America. Do you dare to discover it? You will arrive at the end of the afternoon at the accommodation we chose with time to rest a little before going out for dinner, in a Typical Restaurant. Return to the accommodation.

Have an early breakfast and go out to discover Palos de la Frontera. We start by visiting the Muelle de las Caravelas. Get to know the reproduction of the 3 ships in which Christopher Columbus and the rest of the crew sailed towards the Indies and which ended up being the Discovery of America. Next, we will visit the Church of St. George the Martyr. National Monument since 1931. In it, the sailors who left for America, on August 3, 1492, celebrated mass before embarking, leaving through its well-known Puerta de los Novios. We will finish our Route of the Discoveries with a fantastic walk in the Celestino Mutis Botanical Park. With 12 hectares and species from the 5 continents. It highlights a large number of exotic plants and above all its large greenhouse with a large tropical forest. Then we will invite you to eat a typical dish of the region, in a typical restaurant and we will say goodbye to this magnificent Magic Route.