Rural Spain Properties

AREA GUIDES >> RURAL PROPERTIES IN EXTREMADURA

At a glance
This wild, far-flung region in the south west is one of the least spoiled in Spain, most of it confined to a vast plain with an average altitude of 350-metres. Made up of just two provinces, Cáceres and Badajoz, Extremadura is unbeatable for nature lovers. It has three mountain ranges, with some peaks more than 2,000-metres high, and tremendous wildlife.

Made up of the provinces of Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, it stretches from arid plains to the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees.

Properties
photoIn Extremadura you will come across Extremaduran style fincas, good value townhouses and plenty of old farmhouses that require varying degrees of refurbishment.

Airports
There is no airport in Extremadura but the region can be reached by flying to Porto or Lisbon in bordering Portugal or to Madrid, Valladolid, Seville or the soon-to-be-opened Cuidad Real airport.

Climate
Extremadura has chilly winters and warm and hot summers. Rain is common in spring and autumn and there is occasional snow.

A spot of history
The Spanish conquistadores who went to discover the New World often came from Extremadura. On returning home some of their new found wealth was spent on building ornate mansions, palaces and monasteries in cities like Trujillo and Cáceres. Both cities became UNESCO-listed in 1986.

Mérida is Spain’s best-preserved Roman city, boasting one of the world’s best examples of a Roman theatre.

Culture
Extremadura is culturally thriving with a prestigious drama festival in Mérida in the summer, a classical theatre festival in Almagro and the immensely popular WOMAD festival in Cáceres in May, started by Peter Gabriel to celebrate the best in world music, arts and dance.

Food and drink
Extremadura is renowned for excellent quality pork, particularly for its black-trottered Iberian pigs which are used for cured ham and chorizo.

Pork, goat, ham and game (such as wild boar and partridges) are all favourites in traditional extremeño dishes, often flavoured with the region’s famous smoked paprika.

photoWarming stews and soups are prized in winter while cold soups and gazpachos are often on the menu in the summer.

The region’s gastronomy combines quality basics using local ingredients like mushrooms and forest fruits with sophisticated dishes developed centuries ago in monasteries such as Alcántara or Guadalupe, often from French recipes. Many of the region’s pastries also draw on culinary influences from neighbouring Portugal.

For Spaniards, Extremadura is also one of the best regions for cheese, famous for its tortas (cakes) del Casar and La Serena, strong cheeses which are heated and then spread onto bread.

Extremadura is the second largest wine-producing region in Spain in terms of production after Castilla-La Mancha. Some 80 percent of its vineyards are grown in the province of Badajoz, which includes the region’s first denominación de origen, Ribera del Guadiana.

Catalunya is always associated with cava (sparkling wine) production but Extremadura is rapidly gaining a reputation for producing some fine cavas.

Natural beauty
photoThe mountains of the Sierra de Gredos, which span Castilla y Leon and Extremadura, offer superb trekking, with some peaks higher than 2,500m.

If you’re not up to a challenging trek, there are also some gentle, pretty walks around the villages in and around the valley of La Vera. And don’t miss April at El Valle de Jerte, to the north of La Vera. For around 10 days, the flowering of the cherry blossom turns the valley’s hills into a beautiful white carpet.

Near the city of Plasencia, the rivers Tajo and Tiétar were damned, creating a series of vast reservoirs that are a mecca for wildlife.

The region’s most impressive area is the Parque Natural de Monfragüe - 17,852 hectares of woods, scrubland and rivers, home to 1,400 different tree species, animals like the lynx, red deer and wild boar and a wealth of birds like eagles, black storks, black vultures and owls.