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Castilla-La Mancha

Why Go? Toledo ...... 195 Castilla-La Mancha’s landscape is richly patterned and Around Toledo . . . . . 204 dramatic: undulating plains of rich henna-coloured earth, neatly striped and spotted with olive groves, and golden THE WEST ...... 205 wheat fi elds and grapevines – all stretching to a horizon Talavera de la you never seem to reach. The story-book quality is intensi- Reina ...... 205 fi ed by the presence of solitary windmills and abundant Montes de Toledo . . . 206 (mostly ruined) castles. There are quiet mountainous THE SOUTH ...... 206 stretches here as well, including the Montes de Toledo and the thickly carpeted valleys around Alcalá del Júcar. Ciudad Real ...... 206 The area’s best-known city is glorious Toledo, Spain’s Ciudad Real spiritual capital and an open-air museum of medieval Province ...... 207 buildings and cultural sights. Cuenca is another wondrous Albacete ...... 212 place, seemingly about to topple off its eagle’s-eyrie perch THE NORTHEAST . . . 215 high above a gorge. On a more sensory level, this is the region where saff ron Cuenca ...... 215 is grown and it’s also the capital of Spain’s unrivalled Man- Around Cuenca . . . . 220 chego cheese. The latter makes the perfect accompaniment Guadalajara ...... 221 to the local wines – Spain’s largest vineyard is located here. Pastrana ...... 222 Sigüenza ...... 223 When to Go Toledo °C/°F Te m p Rainfall Inches/mm Best Places to Eat 40/104 8/200

» Manolo de la Osa (p219 ) 30/86 6/150 » A l f i l e r i t o s 2 4 ( p 2 0 2 ) 20/68 4/100 » El Corregidor (p 210 ) 10/50 2/50

Best Places to 0/32 0 Stay J FDNOSAJJMAM » Casa de Cisneros (p200 ) March–April May Stroll the September– Enjoy the country- evocative streets October Hike » La Casa del Rector (p210 ) side’s colourful of medieval To- across Castilla-La » Posada de San José dazzle of wild flow- ledo and Cuenca Mancha’s natural (p 217 ) ers against a lush before the sizzle parks and pictur- green landscape. of high summer. esque villages. and inner patios is also reminiscent of the Toledo 195 POP 82,300 / ELEV 655M medinas (towns) of Damascus, Cairo or Mo- Toledo is Spain’s equivalent of a downsized rocco’s Fez, although the historic diversity Rome. All you need to cover the city’s sights of Christians, Jews and Muslims equals an is a pair of sturdy cobble-proof shoes. The intriguing combination of churches, syna- city’s labyrinth of narrow streets, plazas gogues and mosques. Add to this a lofty

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Castilla-La Mancha Highlights 1 Stroll the tangle of 4 Kick back with a beer at 7 Be king or queen of the medieval streets and a riverside bar in Alcalá del castle, several times over, explore the museums and Júcar (p 213 ) beneath the by visiting the province’s monuments of Toledo (p195 ) cascade of houses and the fascinating castillos (p204 ) 2 Revel in the unspoilt castle 8 Enjoy the local beauty of the Parque 5 Visit the exceptional wines with the perfect Natural de las Lagunas Museo de Arte Abstracto accompaniment: a crumbly de Ruidera (p 210 ), with its Español, housed in one wedge of well-aged, locally crystal-clear turquoise lakes of extraordinary hanging produced Manchego (p205 ) 3 Take the Don Quijote houses of Cuenca (p 215 ) cheese shot of the windmills 6 Step back in time and overlooking Consuegra explore little-known Roman (p212 ) excavations in Valeria (p 218 )