La Alberca

La Alberca is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in the Sierra de Francia and the fist village in Spain which was declared Historical Site in 1940.

Some wide oak groves and different kinds of fruit trees surround the village, under the protection of Peña de Francia and the black Virgin.

The traditional building framework of the houses projects these houses to the sky, preserving the medieval coats of arms and inscriptions on them. The “moza de animas” pray for the dead walking through the streets and ringing a handbell at dusk; at the same time, the San Anton pig walks along the stony streets of the village around the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion.

The fiestas here are unique and unforgettable, in August there is an Auto Sacramental (a piece of religious play) called La Loa, which takes part with the Offertory;; the Corpus Christi celebration, the Day of El Trago or El Pendon. All of them are ideal occasions to visit the village and enjoy the tradition; you will also be able to enjoy the amazing jewelry or costumes which embellish the young men and women.

The top of El Portillo allows you to discover the magic valley of Las Batuecas, oak trees, arbutus, old hermitages and the monastery of the Desierto de S. Jose. Everything invites you to get lost and meditate in this area; and this in why the idiom “estar en Las Batuecas” means being absorbed in your thoughts.