At the heart of the Maestrazgo, province of Teruel, Spain, is standing right on the edge of a mountain a beautiful little town, full of charming and authentic atmosphere,
Villarluengo.
I have an special relationship with this place, as it is my grandmother's home town. Here still is living some of my relatives, I will say that they are almost the last ones keeping this town alive, as many have left to the big cities during the last 60 years. Right now there are around 180 people registered in this town, And during summer time and Festivities of San Marcos ( at the end of April) the population doubles.
Land of farming, shepherds and rangers, I proudly introduce you to Villarluengo.
To get there from the coast, you have to take a road that always is full of exciting moments, wonderful views and nice spots to stop for a while, one of the most expected moment is the climbing up to Ares, The road is been fixed many years ago, but I still remember how was the old one, and how you almost wanted to jump out of the car and kiss the floor once reaching the top!.
Nowadays is really easy the trip, The roads have been fixed nicely, still, the last km until Villarluengo are mountains roads, bit narrow, but in my opinion very good. The best thing, the views.
After around 3 hours from Valencia, and with the mandatory coffee break, we reach the town.
Rigth on top , looking at the wonderfull valley.
The " Lavadero" where the women used to gather together, clean the clothes and chat away, still has the original look.
The small chapel is located just in the outskirts of Villarluengo. Is close to visitors, but the surroundings are outstanding. Around the town there are 2 small hermitages, that can be visited, and open their doors during the festivities.
The views from " el balcón de los forasteros" .
The church is one of the few ones with two towers in the area. The town has a beautiful streets, narrow and built in the Aragon style, mixing textures, as stone, wood and iron.
Most of the people live from the land or the farming, Sheeps, pigs, and bulls can be spotted all around. We even got fresh goat just milked in the morning.
Casa Josefina is definitely the place to stay overnight. Amazing organic food, from their own farm. and the most wonderful people!
From Villarluengo there are many different excursions to take. Visit the nearby towns, the " Hostal de la trucha" visit the Montoro organs, and walk all around the mountains from the routes that are suggested.
The mountains, rivers, sky that we enjoyed during this trip are just unforgettable. I strongly recommend a weekend of peace, nature and just full treat for oneself.
More info here
www.villarluengo.net.
Until next post!
