The holiday includes walking along ancient paths dating back to Roman and Moorish times in the Sierra de Montanchez and also exploring two of the most beautifully preserved medieval town centres in Europe and the largest concentration of Roman architecture in Iberia.

The varied history of Extremadura is brought vibrantly alive while travelling through stunning countryside and some fascinating ancient towns. We do not hurry but walk at pace allowing observation of how the landscape has been adapted and changed by settlers and conquerors through the centuries; Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christians.

Our area of Extremadura has a dramatic history in both town and countryside.Merida was the most important Roman city after Rome built to rule Lusitania over 2000 years ago and is still full of magnificent edifices e.g. the Roman theatre is still in use today and the amphitheatre, thankfully not in use for its original gory purpose of gladiatorial and wild beast contests.

Caceres and Trujillo grew powerful and wealthy due to the outrageous history of returning conquistadors such as Pissarro and Cortes who left Extremadura in poverty and returned to build magnificent palaces and churches with their ill-gotten new world riches. Today both beautifully maintained, a delight to walk through the medieval alleys with secret gardens spilling jasmine and roses over high walls. The Sierra de Montanchez is a unique mountain area in the middle of

Extremadura still retains an extraordinary system of paved caminos which have connected the 15 villages of the sierra since Roman and Moorish times. The paths are intact and still used to take donkeys and farmers to remote olive groves and walkers through a charming landscape of breath taking views, olive terraces, mossy chestnut woods, a gorge with 20 ancient watermills, cork and holm oak forests where Iberian black pigs feed on acorns and a Visigoth basilica looks out towards the mountain up to the ruins of the Moorish castle of Montanchez.

Discover delightful valleys where fig orchards thrive, sleepy villages where a door lintel may be a Roman grave marker or an arch will have a Moorish curve, a humble house an impressive coat of arms, a church will have a stunning 16th century entrance, the bell tower was maybe a minaret?

The battles of the peninsula war raged across Extremadura and an important one was fought at the foot of the Sierra de Montanchez at Arroyomolinos in 1811.

The sierra is a magnet for a very varied bird life, in particular birds of prey and the very beautiful azure winged magpies and hoopoes, on any walk several species of unusual birds can be observed and photographed. www.finca-almanzil.com/Birdwatching.htm

History, climate and situation have combined in granting the Sierra de Montanchez many gifts, the natural beauty of the landscape, fauna and flora and also an ideal micro-climate for producing  jamon, air dried ham from the black Iberian pig fattened on acorns, it is one of the three best jamon areas in Spain. No wonder the “Montanchegos” are happy to welcome visiting wanderers to the charms of their sierra.

ACCOMMODATION: We stay at Finca al-manzil or Casa de Perdices both Casa Rurales in the Sierra de Montanchez offering comfortable accommodation and very good food and wine. All the walks in the sierra are directly from the houses. The town walks are reached by a car transport of 30 minutes.

TARIFF€750 per person per week The tariff is for half board, accommodation, breakfast and dinner including wine.