Archaeology handicrafts and science and technology sites to visit Spain

Built in 1904 by Antonio Baena Delgado, this former factory producing flour but also hams and oils has been completely renovated and is now a hotel. You can enjoy a drink or a drink in the cafeteria restaurant. Next to the hotel you will see the church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen where the workers of the old factory could pray.

The cave was severely damaged after its discovery in 1914, in particular by the work of development resulting from its tourist attendance. In order to preserve what could still be, the Peña remained closed to the public between 1979 and 1994, and opened its doors only for a well defined and limited number of visitors. Access to the large hall, by a biscornue gallery, is not easy and is discouraged for children under the age of 7.

The large painting hall has six panels dated Gravettien (from -31 000 to -22 000 years) in Magdalénien (-17 000 to -12 000 years). The most notable, with its fifty superimposed engravings, is reproduced at the Interprétation interpretation centre. But the cave is known mainly for the "camarín": a cavity in height, very difficult to access, decorated with horses and cattle. If you take care, you will notice that the silhouettes appear as if they were faced, while they are located much higher than we. The artist played with the prospect to give this effect and, very closely, animals would appear disproportionate. Moreover, the layout and the shape of the rock give the impression of watching a theatre scene or a movie screen, which speaks volumes about the taste and art of staging in our ancestors!

From Las Caldas, first of all, it takes the church San Juan de Priorio. From here, a pleasant little walk (30 minutes) leads you to the edge of the river, to the shelter under rock.

The cave of Lluera was discovered in the 1970 s. It was inhabited 18 or 19 000 years ago, until 10 500 years ago on the basis of sediment dating.

At the entrance to the cave on the left, note the great burning of horse. Inside the cave, in the form of a horseshoe, the engravings are more difficult to identify for an uninformed eye, because most are intertwined and drawn on each other during different periods: the horns of some deer are used for example to make bison belly. Depending on the orientation of the light, however, it was devinera on the largest panel of biches, bison and horses. A group of 4 bison appears more clearly on the left-hand side and has a beautiful perspective.

Note that the engravings stop precisely at the maximum place where the light is worn and the cave does not contain any engraving or drawing in its darkest part.

In the Lluera 2, a second smaller cave, a little upstream on the river, we can observe geometric signs, including some triangles and, in the center, a biche.

The city was the place of a long textile tradition that left an important industrial heritage that it will be possible to discover by following this road of textile factories, along Du's Cuerpo River, a situation that owes nothing at random since the water used to feed textile machines or hydroelectric turbines. To make better use of this energy, part of the current passed through the different pesqueras that allowed the water to be distributed in the canals. During this tour, you will be able to observe those of Los Caballos, Los Capitanes, Tapia or Los Ladrones, as well as the companies located on the banks, some of which were essential to the development of Béjar. Throughout this walk you will find informative signs. At the end or at the beginning of the journey, visit the Textile museum, located in an old factory.

Before going to the site, signposted from the centre of Poio, stop at the small interpretation centre at the back of the tourist office. An audiovisual documentary and a few panels will allow you to prepare your visit to the site. It is located on the heights of Poio and offers a small walk between a number of rocks adorned with signs and silhouettes. You will benefit from a beautiful view over Pontevedra.

Above the beach of Mogor, three rocks are decorated with engravings, especially two labyrinths. These patterns are rather rare (only 6 in Galicia) and should not be confused with labyrinthiformes signs or spirals. A path has been set up and the interprétaion centre at the time of writing this guide organizes guided tours, especially night tours, to explain the treasures of the site to visitors. Outside the opening times of the centre, the site remains in free access and nothing prevents you from coming there and ending with a little swim!

After the visit of the small interpretive centre, which is essentially a documentary about the bronze age and the few questions raised by the petroglyphs, we walk along a small 2 km course that follows an ancient paved path. The passage of carts for decades has quite wiped out the engravings and, in order to be sure to appreciate the visit, you can arrive early to get the most performs light possible. Notable figures are distinguished from large deer and geometric motifs.

Start your visit by the Archaeology Museum (+34 923 500 702) which is located on the central square of the village. You will see, around a large model reproducing the site, all traces of the past of Yecla la Vieja, revealed by excavations: ceramics, funéraires, engravings. An expo on beliefs and daily life helps to illuminate the historical parts, you will then be more able to visit the archaeological site and find the few engravings that centuries have left there.

The Gisement Gisement deposit is located at the exit of Yecla de Yeltes (free access, parking at the entrance), in a territory of about five hectares. It is a pre-Roman settlement, occupied then under the Roman Empire and then the visigoth kingdom. It was completely abandoned in 1174. It is discovered through two interpretive paths. The shortest (850 metres) makes a quick turn through the interior while the longest (1 200 metres) makes the complete tour of the walls. In the centre, dominating the ancient ramparts, a hermitage was built at the entrance of what was the village and which remains a few foundations of walls. A village of Celtic huts was reconstituted away from the main street and hosts life scenes in the Bronze Age every year in April. About metres away, on the right, you can see at the western door a deer engraved on one of the blocks of stone supporting the outer wall. From there, a path leads to the cemetery where, in 2012, two tombs and skeletons were discovered, all in the same position. By returning to the village and pursuing the south-west door, you will have the opportunity to see further well-preserved engravings, especially one of the riders hunting a wild boar.

Siega Verde and Côa, located on the other side of the border, in Portugal, form the largest set of rock engravings in the free air of the Iberian Peninsula. If the presence and location of the engravings had long been known to local populations, especially shepherds, no one suspected their age. It was only in 1988 that a excavations campaign uncovered the engravings as a whole, by cleaning the foams and lychens them. We are then aware of their seniority and importance. Prior to being classified as a World Heritage for Humanity, in 2010, the site unfortunately remained for many years in free access and suffered a great deal of damage and vandalism. Guided tours, therefore, are limited to 5 rocks decorated on a normal visit or 14 rocks on a long visit. The entire site has 646 engravings in total.

The visit begins with that of the interpretation centre. Supported on the rock, with a very red hue due to its high iron oxide content, the first room offers each reading several thematic spaces: the face of Europe 20 000 years ago, the main discoveries of rock art in Europe, the tools used for engravings, dating methods… A documentary then plunges us into the everyday life of those who have thus decorated the rock blocks on the shores of the Río River for centuries.

It is then the descent to the shores of the río where the engravings are concentrated, over 1 km. Their density is exceptional, since they are more than in Côa, where they span a surface of 20 000 km ². A total of five rocks are the tour route, but many others are scattered around the circuit for conservation purposes. 91 rocks decorated with engravings were recorded in total. The visible sample nevertheless very well reflects what the site can offer: a large set of representations of animals carried out on schist outcrops scattered on the left bank of the Águeda River, carried out with incision or picketing techniques. The figures are usually presented in small groups of 2 to 6 associations in medium and large size panels, but there are also many isolated figures represented on small rocky outcrops. It is more likely an area of passage than a residential area. The natural corridor created by the Río River was followed by animals, themselves followed by hunters.

In the representations of Siega Verde, the horse is the dominant animal. The first set of engravings visible on the site presents a 90 cm horse design, surrounded by four smaller ones. The guided tour will help you distinguish between each other's figures and even identify them because some of them are really difficult to discern.

If you push down to the foot of the bridge, you will see that one of the pillars has been built on an engraved rock and one can see on the latter the body of a horse by the head cut by the book. The workers at the time had not even seen what they had saccagé! However, their action was not so harmful: the intact part has been protected from the current during the flood by the pillar and is very well preserved.

The interpretation centre team organizes night visits (8 people. maximum), which makes it possible to highlight engravings with torches. On reservation (10 pers. maximum), a more extensive visit of the site, with 14 rocks instead of 5, is also possible, counting a full day. Guided tours are offered in English and French.

Set up in an old home house, the casa de los pinotes, it presents everything related to the major transhumance routes, including the circuit of the Cañada Real Soriano West, from Soria to Badajoz, crossing the provinces of Segovie, Avila, Salamanca and Cárque. Áceres. This center is run by the Tagus Association, which organizes a road of transhumance on the occasion of the Torta del Casar festival at the end of October, with tasting of migas from the shepherd and route accompanied by a herd of sheep.

It is one of the key elements to understand the position and function of a frontier town like Alcalá la Real. During the lower Middle Ages, this system served as a communication system between cities, and the region had many. Those who saw Lord of the Rings will have a little idea of what a fire ignition system means to give the alarm. Today, there are only nine towers and the road dedicated to them can walk through the tower of Moraleja y del Cascante, from downtown. Next to the last tower is the Fuente del Rey, with an old lace, and the church Santa Ana, dating back to the sixteenth century.

Low difficulty route: 1,1 km long and about 30 minutes (single). The journey begins in the town of Murias and gives access to the Xurbeo waterfall, a magnificent waterfall that plunges vertically meters high.

The rise of this mythical stage of the Vuelta, which saw the triumph of French Kenny Elissonde in 2013, is a journey of 12,5 km (average slope of 10,13%) that can be done by car, on foot (why not), but also by bike, for the most courageous. If it is better to avoid winter due to snow, it will always be necessary to pay attention to sudden and ponctuelles arrivals. Throughout the ascent, signs indicate the name of the passage and its length, altitude, scale, and remaining distance to the crown. The first half of the journey, the most gentle, leads to the recreational Area of Viapará which offers tables, parking and nice views of the Riosa, the Monsacro and the Sierra del Aramo. It is after the beginning of the serious ascent (1 570 m altitude) with a slope of 21,5% at the Cuesta les Cabanes. At 900 m altitude, we have a panoramic view of the surrounding area, cows and horses. And at kilometre 10,3, this is the beginning of so-called "hell", with a slope of 23%. Upon arrival, the reward: a beautiful view of Pico Gamonal (1 712 m) in the north and on Moncuevu (1 718 m) in the south. An explanatory table completes your information. 

Built in the time of Emperor Auguste, it passes through the summit of Carraceo Cordal, connecting, on 42 km, Pendilla (in Leon) and Ujo (Mieres commune, in Asturias). Located between 26 and 22 BC to lead the war against the Astures, the Roman camp occupied 10 hectares on Mount Curriechos at 1,728 m altitude. North of this camp, at 1 km, is a fortification dated in the middle of the viie and the beginning of the viiith century. The archeological ensemble of La Carisa is still being excavated. Located at Enfistiella, an interpretation center for this route should be created (information at the Tourist Office).

It is a signposted 40 km road which crosses villages throughout the municipality and allows you to see the torre de los Valdés in San Cucao, the palace of Villanueva and Villabona, through beautiful landscapes. During this course, you will be able to stop at a mirador equipped with an information table and see Oviedo, in an open time. It is done by car or bicycle, or by foot for the most courageous. A 20 km formula is also available for walkers (information at the Tourist Office). 

This marked road, part of Cayés, allows you to know more about the operation of the mills while wandering in a pretty countryside. 

Less impressive than Covalanas by his paintings, Cullalvera is by his spectacular and immense mouth. Located in the heart of the village, the gallery measures no less than 12 km long, half in the straight line. So much more easily than in the small gallery of Covalanas. The paintings were discovered in 1954. Opened to the public in 2007, it offers enough space to accommodate stage spaces and also lends itself to geological observation with beautiful concretions all along the walls.

The paintings are concentrated in a sector several hundred metres from the entrance. What, as in Covalanas, presupposes that they were in total darkness and visible only by artificial lighting. There are many signs and symbols as well as horses and deer.

Certainly the most moving collection of rock paintings in the Iberian Peninsula. If the gallery is smaller than in other caves and fewer paintings, they were designed and realized not as isolated drawings but as a real work of art with subjects communicating between themselves and with the visitor as the latter advances in the cave. Light games and wall shapes are studied to give the best possible movements and prospects. It is really the great art that you recommend to discover on guided tour to do nothing to lose the very many details that make Covalanas such a particular cave. The narrow gallery imposes small groups, 7 or 8 people maximum, which facilitates contact with the works as with the guide. Rarely will you have the opportunity to be so close to original paintings in a good state of conservation!

The cave is 2,5 km from the city centre. A very pleasant hiking trail makes it possible to walk on foot, as long as you face the difference of just over 200 m. It is a good way to discover the beautiful panoramas surrounding the cave. Many populations were believed to inhabit caves in prehistoric times. A total of 14 caves decorated with paintings or engravings were found in the vicinity.

Covalanas is a space entirely dedicated to painting, a kind of cinema or prehistoric museum. Research has indeed shown that places of habitation were lower on the mountain, and only painting tools were found in the cave itself. The artist or artists came here only to exercise their art, with a goal that we still don't know. In any case, they painted in a place where the only way to see paintings was to bring light. At 65 metres from the entrance to the cave, the gallery is actually diving in the dark, and lighting to lamps should help to give movement effects to the animals represented.

The paintings would be 7 000 years older than the Altamira bison and the Mammoths of Lascaux. The animals represented here are deer and biches, animals placed very high in the Mammal Pantheon represented on Hispanic walls. The technique used is that of pointillism: you will notice that the strokes are not full but formed of point alignments obtained by placing the inch, coated with manganese oxide, on the wall.

There are about twenty figures, including a buffalo and a horse, all others are biches or deer. Although it is difficult to interpret the will of the artist, you will notice that the overall scheme responds to a plan and that the choice of locations is nothing insignificant. The animals seem to be watching us, moving away or repprocher from us depending on where we are in the gallery, without any failure in the route. At some distances, the biches of the entrance of the gallery might seem true, as the watchtower while the others are already fleeing upon arrival. We will certainly never know the motivations of the artist of Covalanas, and if the visit of the cave does not provide answers, she at least has the merit of urging us to question the meaning of these paintings and the message they give us.

3 km from the village of Miera, the caves offered shelters that our hunter-gatherers were certainly attending 10 to 30 000 years. For the time being, they had a high quality of life with a favourable climate during the summer months. They lived from hunting, most of the large animals following river valleys to migrate or simply drink, but also to fish thanks to abundant salmon, often very large as evidenced by the fossils found.

The caves of Salitre, closed to the public for conservation (but whose cave of Sopeña offers some reproductions), had a residential use but, at least two times, around 18 000 and 15 000 BC, or two periods of the upper Paleolithic (the Solutréen and the Magdalénien), they also served as rock sanctuaries. The reproduction of the cave and the fac of the many updated paintings in the original caves can be seen in the Sopeña. The opportunity to follow a visit that combines archaeology, rock art and geology.

In the livable part, that is, the mouth of the cavity, have been reconstituted from residential areas where they are exposed to everyday objects used by our ancestors to cook, hunt, paint, dress, manufacture tools, lit and maintain fire…

In the plus part of the gallery, sheltered from light, there are cave paintings: red, drawn to manganese oxide, and black, drawn to carbon. Deer, biches and horses are the dominant silhouettes on the different panels.

The guided tour will take you further into the cave which is also a geological marvel with many natural sculptures formed by time, water and erosion. This was where the cave bears were hibernate, which shared the caves with the first men. Sopeña has been found several skeletons of dead bears during their sleep.

This Caleta is a charming little port, located a few kilometres from Playa de las Américas, in the direction of Adeje. For bathing, there is a superb place with white rocks and translucent water. To get to this beautiful cove dotted with caves inhabited by international hippies, you have to pass through the small village, leave the car and take a small coastal path that goes up. This place, known by nudists, is ideal to escape the tourists who invade the beaches of Los Cristianos and Las Américas.

In part, this trip requires hikers to be equipped and warned of the dangers of the mountain, routes that may prove difficult or even dangerous. Therefore, before embarking on adventure, it is advisable to contact a tourism office in the region. There are many routes, all of them, for the purpose of the mythical mountain Mont de Bulnes (2 519 m), in the heart of the nature reserve, very popular by hikers and climbers. The main path links the following steps: Espinama, Sotres, Bulnes, Naranjo de Bulnes and Fuente de.