Spring is a beautiful time to travel because it is not as hot as in summer and the vegetation is in full swing. An opportunity, therefore, to get to know natural landscapes, go hiking and enjoy nature.
Baptized as the Spanish Tuscany, Matarraña is an eminently mountainous territory where the foothills of the Iberian System meet the mountain ranges of the Catalan coast and is bathed by the Matarraña, Algars, Ulldemó and Tastavins rivers.
The Ports of Beceite
The maximum exponent of this geography are the Puertos de Beceite, a mountainous massif of abrupt mountains, pierced by numerous rivers and ravines that hide impressive places such as the Parrizal de Beceite. One of the best-known enclaves, Tourism de Aragón has, which also offers a fantastic walk between stone walls and that runs through the very bed of the Matarraña. The route begins very close to Beceite and runs parallel to the river, which is crossed several times with the help of footbridges that allow you to see pools of transparent water from above.
Parrizal de Beceite Lopez Estivill | dreamstime
This path ends at Los Estrechos, where the river is channeled by vertiginous walls that reach a width of 1.5 meters by 60 in height and impressive stone needles known as Les Gubies. Another great attraction in the area is the Rocas del Masmut, an impressive reddish rock more than 100 meters high near Peñarroya de Tastavins. Or the 20-meter waterfall of El Salt, a few kilometers from the town of La Portellada.
Following the path of the Matarraña River, the must-see is Valderrobres, administrative capital of the region and one of the most beautiful towns in Aragon and Europe. Declared a Historic Site, highlights include the church of Santa María, one of the greatest exponents of Gothic architecture in Aragon, the castle, also Gothic, and the town hall, from the Aragonese Renaissance. In addition, the path that the river makes through the city leaves an image similar to Florence, the capital of Tuscany.
Visco Tower
About six kilometers from Valderobres, is La Torre del Visco, a small hotel of the Relais & Châteaux chain that summarizes in its proposal what Matarraña means and that it is the place where he stayed, says the founder Jemma Markan, the British journalist which he nicknamed Matarraña as the Spanish Tuscany.
Torre del Visco, Matarraña, the Spanish Tuscany
Markan, tells in an interview in this medium, that he does not usually like comparisons but that they do represent a point of reference for those who do not know the area they like and that it adjusts to reality. “It is very surprising to find a landscape of cypresses, ancient olive trees interspersed with almond trees, that luminosity, medieval villages, hermitages… these are not images that are usually associated with the province of Teruel,” he explains.
La Torre del Visco, which he founded in the 1990s, is located in an old fortified farmhouse from the 15th century, hidden in a river valley. It is an establishment with only 17 rooms and a zero kilometer restaurant that feeds on meats, cheeses and game, mushrooms and black truffles from the Matarraña region, fish and shellfish from the Mediterranean and the Ebro Delta. And fruit, vegetables and extra virgin olive oil are extracted from the more than 100 hectares of organic farm that surround La Torre del Visco together with beautiful romantic gardens with more than 50 varieties of roses and where 17 people work full time, all region of. “La Torre del Visco was initially an agricultural estate and this continues to be an integral part of the project. From the orchard and greenhouse to the olive groves, we provide a large part of what we need in our kitchen and everything from certified organic farming,” explains the foundress.
Among the activities organized at the hotel are astronomy nights, wine and extra virgin olive oil tastings, truffle and mushroom gathering, cooking classes, cheese and honey tastings and night photography courses, among many others. Visits to local wineries, horseback riding and hiking trails with picnic basket included are also organized.
Accommodation in this hotel ranges from 195 euros for the classic double room to the suites with their living room and fireplace that reach 375 euros.
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