 Castile-Leon (Castilla y Leon in Spanish) is a region of Spain
composed of Leon with the provinces of Leon, Zamora and Salamanca,
and Castile with the provinces of Avila, Burgos, Palencia, Segovia,
Soria and Valladolid. It was formed by the union of two ancient
kingdoms: Old Castile and the Kingdom of Leon, which were separated
and reunited several times in the Middle Ages. It borders on
Asturias and Cantabria to the north, Aragon, the Basque Country,
and La Rioja to the east, the autonomous community of Madrid
and Castile-La Mancha to the southeast, Extremadura to the south,
and borders on Portugal and Galicia to the west. It is the largest
region in Spain with its capital Valladolid almost at its very
centre.
La Alberca, in the province of Castilla
y Leon, is about an hour and a half south of Salamanca on the
SA 202. There is daily bus service from Salamanca..
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La Alberca is a thousand-year-old
village in the mountainous Sierra de Francia region of southern
Salamanca. It was the first of Spain's country villages to be
declared a National historical Monument. In its Medieval heart,
the well-preserved half-timbered houses, many with carved oak
doors, jostle crookedly along tight, cobbled lanes. Flowers tumble
from upper stories around the Plaza Mayor, with its Renaissance
cross, daily market traders, bodegas and cafes. In the Middle
Ages, Spain's Moorish, Catholic, and Jewish cultures came together
in La Alberca, each leaving a subtle influence on the local architecture,
music and food. On many of the houses there are carvings showing
where pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela stopped
for rest and sustenance. |
