The Association The Most Beautiful Towns in Spain has just announced in the National Assembly of Presidents, in the Burgos municipality of Frías, its new additions for the year 2021. In total there are eleven locations that have met the requirements established by the organization for form part of the network, which begins with the request of the municipal plenary session or government board, and which this year has been requested by numerous municipalities. As of January 1, 2021, the network will have 104 locations.
The 11 new ‘Most Beautiful Towns in Spain’ 2021
The towns that become part of the Association are Beget (Girona), Molinaseca (León), Baños de la Encina (Jaén), Genalguacil (Málaga), Nuevo Baztán (Madrid), Valverde de la Vera (Cáceres), Agulo ( La Gomera), Roncal (Navarra), Bulnes, Cudillero (Asturias) and Garachico (Tenerife).
These eleven municipalities have passed an audit during this 2020, with more than 40 criteria, in order to be part of this network, in aspects as important as the care of heritage, the harmony of the municipality, cleanliness, conservation of facades, circulation of vehicles , care of flowers and green areas, scheduled cultural activity or attention to traditions, among many others
The eleven new towns will be officially presented at the Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR) and during the spring an important act of proclamation will be held in these beautiful towns.
The town of Beget (Girona)
The small town of Beget, with just over 20 inhabitants, has kept its essence for years thanks to exquisite care for its heritage. Known for its origins in the Middle Ages, the town has grown around the Church of Sant Cristòfol de Beget (X-XIII centuries), the town is located in the Alta Garrotxa, an Area of Natural Interest that covers pre-Pyrenean areas of three regions.
Going through Beget, along its streets, allows us to enjoy its two medieval bridges, which cross the river Llierca and where the cobbled streets climb up the walls of the houses and blend with the surrounding landscape.
Beget is a starting point for many routes for hikers and mountain bikers, who stop at its restaurants to enjoy a traditional Catalan meal, where local products are the protagonists.
The town of Molinaseca (León)
Molinaseca Town
The small town of Molinaseca in Bercia, located a few kilometers from Ponferrada, exudes a medieval flavor, in every corner, and invites you to walk without haste, and accompany the pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago, when entering Calle Real, after crossing the bridge -Puente de los Peregrinos- to the Crucero del Santo Cristo.
This town conserves a rich popular architecture with corridors, flown galleries of chestnut wood, external stairs to access the houses, covered with slate, along with some manor houses with ashlar doorways and noble shields.
Among the must-sees in this town is the Sanctuary of Las Angustias, from the 18th century, founded on an 11th-century chapel, or the parish church of La Magdalena, with a Baroque altarpiece, and the temple of San Nicolás de Bari, already existing in 1134, as mentioned in a document of the time.
Molinaseca is recognized for its gastronomy from Bercia where you can enjoy conference pears, chestnuts, roasted peppers and the coveted botillo, a hearty dish made with different parts of the pig, and accompanied by cachelos, cabbage or chickpeas.
The town of Baños de la Encina (Jaén)
Town of Baños de la Encina
The town of Baños de la Encina, in Jaén, is located in Sierra Morena, next to the Rumblar reservoir, where its Caliphal fortress, ordered to be built by al-Hakam and completed in 968, was the object of continuous battles between Muslims and Christians, being the door to access Andalusia.
Baños de la Encina has accumulated a rich artistic heritage that it has managed to preserve, it was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1969, and from the Caliphate castle to the parish church of Gothic origin, from the baroque exuberance of the sanctuary’s dressing room to the emblazoned austerity of the Council, from the manor of its palaces to its 18th century mills, the town preserves its monumental identity that evokes its historical importance.
The Hermitage of Cristo del Llano, is for many visitors the great surprise of Baños de la Encina, where its dressing room, decorated with rich polychrome plasterwork with hundreds of allegorical figures, saints, musical angels, along with natural motifs among which birds can be seen exotic, fruits and vegetables, is the great work of this hermitage.
Baños de la Encina treasures an exquisite gastronomy, closely linked to the resources provided by the land and conditioned by traditional activities and characterized by the intense use of aromatic herbs, bush meat and vegetables.
The spoon is a ‘bread bun’ filled with virgin olive oil, a little salt and a ripe tomato that is chopped up and served with bacon, sardines or olives.
Game also has a great tradition, such as venison a la banusca, deer meat marinated with vegetables, aromatic herbs and wine, and then fried, or the bañuelo roll, a typical dish of the Virgen de la Encina pilgrimage.
The town of Genalguacil (Malaga)
Town of Genalguacil
The village known as “the vizier’s gardens” has grown along a terraced terrain, inherited from its Arab founders, and shows all its splendor among chestnut, holm and cork oak trees.
Located in the heart of the Genal Valley, one of the most virgin places in Andalusia, its historic center made up of whitewashed low houses, allows the parish church of San Pedro de Verona to stand out, with its characteristic octagonal tower, from the 18th century in style academic and classicist baroque with touches of Mudejar style, which gives entrance to the visit of this “museum town”, where its streets become contemporary art galleries throughout the year, with more than 120 works of art among which we can visit through the streets of Genalguacil, and those of the Museum of Contemporary Art.
The beauty of Genalguacil is also found in its cultural and gastronomic heritage, we must highlight the artisan products they produce, where cork is one of its protagonists, or the olive sticks, with which their beautiful artisans create. Enjoying the tomato soups and hot gazpacho, in any of its streets, is another moment that we cannot miss.
The town of Nuevo Baztán (Madrid)
Town of Nuevo Baztan
The beautiful municipality of Nuevo Baztán is located to the southeast of the Community of Madrid, and was founded at the beginning of the 18th century by Juan de Goyeneche y Gastón as an agricultural and manufacturing center for products valued at the time such as glass and fabrics. It was declared a Historical-Artistic Monument in 1941 and an Asset of Cultural Interest in the year 2000.
The architectural complex was designed towards the outside so that its inhabitants could interact with each other, where a baroque palace presided over a stately nucleus surrounded by three squares, among which the Plaza de las Fiestas stands out, also known as Plaza de Toros, due to the fact that Bullfighting, plays and concerts were held there during the Goyeneche era. It is delimited by the Trade Houses and their wonderful balconies with arches.
The Goyeneche Palace-Church is an impressive Historical-Artistic Complex that was erected by José Benito de Churriguera, and forms a continuous façade with the Church, forming the central nucleus of this monumental municipality. Built with limestone berroqueña stone, it is characterized by its harmony, simplicity and austerity. It has two heights and at its right end stands a tower reminiscent of Herrera topped by a stone balustrade and balls, in homage to Juan de Herrera and his Escorial style.
The gastronomy of Nuevo Baztán is unequivocally Castilian, with roasts and lamb chops as the most representative element. The sheep cheese and vegetables from Las Vegas in the area are also recommended. There are also some specialties of their own, such as repápalos, a sweet made with wine and cinnamon that is vaguely reminiscent of pestiños. Another typical sweet is puches, a kind of sweet porridge that was traditionally eaten on All Saints’ Eve.
The town of Valverde de la Vera (Cáceres)
Valverde de la Vera is a municipality in Cáceres located in the region of La Vera, declared a Historic Site in 1970, and through which water flows through its cobbled streets thanks to the “irrigators”, and they serve to facilitate its cleaning and to distribute the orchard irrigation water.
A town with a popular architecture of three levels, which combines masonry with wooden frames and brick or adobe, and where it is easy to find beautiful arcades on granite columns, decorated with balls and moldings.
Of its castle, from the 12th and 14th centuries, there are two defensive towers that today are part of the church, since the Torre del Homenaje was built in the s. XV. The Church of Nuestra Señora de las Fuentes Claras, from the 15th and 16th centuries, integrates a beautiful mixture of styles, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and even Arabic, with both Churrigueresque and Romanesque altarpieces. In the main square we find buildings of traditional architecture. Also noteworthy is the roll or pillory, a symbol of its villainy, in the Gothic style.
In the municipality you can attend on the night from Thursday to Good Friday, the pilgrimage of the Empalaos, who surrounded by mystery and anonymity, accompanied by their corresponding Cirineos who light them up and help in case they fall to the ground, travel in absolute silence the itinerary of the Via Crucis through the beautiful streets of Valverde de la Vera, and where the crossing of empalaos, where both kneel as a sign of respect when meeting, is one of the most impressive moments of the night.
The town of Garachico (Tenerife)
town of garachico
Garachico, a town located in the northeast of the island of Tenerife, has a rich architectural heritage in its historical center, very well preserved, from the 16th and 17th centuries…
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