Rural Spain Properties

AREA GUIDES >> RURAL PROPERTIES IN CASTILLA LA MANCHA

At a glance
photoCastilla La Mancha is the Spain immortalised in writing and photographs ever since Cervantes’ Don Quixote set off on his fictional adventures.

It is the land of empty, even desolate, plains, of windmills, medieval castles and sweeping mountains. Composed of five provinces - Guadalajara, Cuenca, Toledo, Albacete and Ciudad Real. It is also home to one of Spain’s most important cities historically, Toledo, the Visigoth capital of the 6th-century where Christians, Muslims and Jews once remarkably lived harmoniously together.

Properties
The regions proximity to Madrid make it ideal territory for rural hotels. There are plenty of fantastic towns to choose from ranging from Medinaceli in the north of the region to Cuenca and Chinchilla de Monte Aragón in the centre and Riopar in the south.

Fincas and townhouses are the most common properties on offer with prices often being very competative.

Climate
Though temperatures in Castilla La Mancha vary between the mountains and the plains, overall the region has hot, dry summers, limited rain and cold winters.

Historic value
In Castilla-La Mancha, as its name suggests, it is difficult to go far without coming across a castle. Some of the best are in Sigüenza, Calatrava, Alarcón and Belmonte.

The Romans left there mark on the region with the best example being the  Roman ruins in Segóbriga.

photoToledo, the former capital in the 6th-century, was rightfully UNESCO listed in 1986. The city preserves a tremendous mix of heritage from its 2000 years of history and reflects the influences of the Middle Ages when Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together and when the city’s famous cathedral was built.

Cuenca is also UNESCO-listed for its medieval fortifications and its hanging houses which dangle off sheer cliffs over the Huécar river.

Culture
Little Almagro attracts big audiences for its theatre festival in July that is held in a 17th-century courtyard theatre.

In the first week of September, wine connoisseurs should make a beeline for Valdepeñas when the town holds its wine festival.

Cuidad Real, which I’m afraid doesn’t have much to shout about has decided that the way forward is to become the Las Vegas of Europe. The Cesars Palace group will open a mega casino outside the city with train links to Cuidad Real airport and a high-speed train link to Madrid.

Food and drink
Many of the ingredients used in cooking here are simple but delicious, coming from high quality local producers. Young, pickled aubergines from Almagro are a favourite speciality which is being increasingly exported. Mauve-coloured garlic from Pedroneras is used to flavour many traditional dishes such as Asadillo manchego, a salad of roasted peppers mixed with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

Vegetables like peppers and tomatoes are present in many local dishes. Another example is Pisto manchego con huevos, a kind of ratatouille of green peppers, tomatoes, onions, courgette and Iberican ham, served with a fried egg.

Meat is also excellent, and ranges from fantastic lamb to a wide range of game. Stewed partridge is a popular dish, as is Gazpacho manchego, also known as galiano, not to be confused with gazpacho from Andalusia. Manchego gazpachos are a stew of rabbit, hare, pigeon and chicken served on a flat bread.

Of course, Manchego cheese is the most famous Spanish cheese in the world, made in the provinces of Cuenca, Ciudad Real, Toledo and Albacete.
The region also has a number of sweets such as mantecados cakes and marzipan from Toledo.

In Castilla-La Mancha it is not hard to find a good bottle of wine: the region has the world’s largest surface area of vineyards. Until recently, though, the wines tended to be light wines to be drunk young. The last 10 years, however, has witnessed a revolution in winemaking here, with new grape varieties being planted and the region winning increasing attention for its crianzas and reservas.

The best-known denominaciones de origen are those of La Mancha and Valdepenas but there are excellent tipples to be found in Mentrida, Mondejar, Almansa, Manchuela, Ribera del Jucar, Dominio de Valdepusa, Finca Elez and Pago Guijoso.

photoNatural beauty
Castilla-La Mancha has two national parks: the Tablas de Daimiel - marshy wetlands home to birds like grebes and mallards – and the Cabañeros National Park, an expanse of woodland and pasture land where you can spot wild boar, deer, eagles and “chozas” (traditional shepherds’ shelters which look like thatched wig-whams).

The plains of La Mancha are also surrounded by the mountains of the Sierra de Alcaraz through which the Rio Mundo flows, passing dramatic gorges and creating fabulous waterfalls.

Traditionally, La Mancha had an active saffron business to add colour to paella, so look out for mauve fields of flowers around Albacete.