Paris1972-Versailles2003

Let me you a nature’s paradise which will be appreciated by all nature lovers including me, Again, doing updates on posts in my blog, found pictures not yet shown and should be, This was a memorable trip base in our house in Las Majadas (see posts) with the family, Therefore, let me tell you about El Postigo in the town of Cañete, Province of Cuenca and in the autonomous community of Castilla La Mancha, My fav region full of wonderful family memories including this one.  We were thinking where to go next into the real Castilian mountains of my dear Spain, and decided to take the community road CM2106 driving into the unknown even for me, This is how we came up to Cañete and the El Postigo. Here is a bit of the story translated from the city, better.

The region of Cañete is part of what is geographically called the Serranía de Cuenca, (see post) which together with the neighboring Sierra de Albarracín and the Valencian region of Los Serranos form the southernmost foothills of the Iberian System. It is a large mountainous area (almost 7,000 square kilometers for the Sierra de Cuenca alone) populated by a colossal forest mass. Within the Serranía de Cuenca, Cañete and its area occupy the central part of the massif. It is a very sparsely populated area, almost a demographic desert, with small and widely separated nuclei. The two most important highways in the Cuenca mountains pass through its urban nucleus. These are the N-420 and the CM-2106. It has a population of 764 inhabitants (INE 2020),

The place of El Postigo is the immediate natural area to Cañete, extending under the same walls of the old town of the town, The place takes its name from the narrow postern, from an indefinite period, which has always served the people of Cañete to access the mills and orchards, as well as to ensure water in times of need.

El Postigo encompasses a narrow section of the riverbed of the Río de la Virgen (or Río Tinte), a tributary of the Río Mayor that originates from the Las Fuentes spring, about two km from the town. After taking its first steps through the open plain, the river suddenly descends towards the Rio Mayor river, gaining unevenness and cascading over several limestone steps, of which the highest is known as Pozo de la Horca, about ten meters high , which constitutes the most spectacular and hidden point of the El Postigo area, at the very foot of the hermitage of the Virgen de la Zarza, patron saint of the town (see post).

The place has numerous native plant species , to which we must add a good number of herbaceous plants and the color of the orchards, small pieces of agricultural jewelery. The wall over the ravine is a Muslim work from the middle of the 10C. A series of recently cleared paths allow a comfortable and pleasant itinerary of a few minutes through the area. With an abundant number of plant species, the freshness of the Rio Virgen , the small wonder of the Pozo de la Horca waterfall and the prospects of the southern wall of Cañete, where the old Islamic bastions have been invaded and overcome by the popular architecture, the place of El Postigo is a reduced symbiosis of the natural and the human that is well worth a short walk. And we did !!!

I am sure, you will agree, one of the most charming corners of Cañete is El Postigo. After crossing a curious bridge that consisted of a log held by two ropes, we went down to the river bank to contemplate the work “Lavanderas del río Tinte” or laundries of Tinte river. Following the same shore it is also possible to reach “La molienda”,or the grinding,  another work from Luis Zafrilla’s Illustrated Landscape. We finished the tour of this tourist area, at the end of which “La ronda” or round one, awaited us, another work, which in this case offered a certain degree of interactivity by being able to put your face next to the other members of the sculpted music band.

The city of Cañete on El Postigo: https://www.villadecanete.com/monumentos.php?ID=14

This is a youtube video on Cañete by minute 0:34 you will see El Postigo; hope is kept as youtube has the habit of taken them down. Enjoy it while available.

There you go folks, another dandy in my real mountains of my dear Spain. Cañete is a small town but for us is big, memorable moment with my family on my showing off of Spain! My dear late wife Martine love it!!! Hope you enjoy the post as well as I

And remember, happy travels,good health, and many cheers to all!!!

And back running to my beloved Spain to update this wonderful off the beaten path nature lovers corner of the Province of Cuenca in the autonomous community of Castilla La Mancha. I have been all over here sometimes not enough pictures but been there, road warrior , or family trips it has been many over the years. I like to tell you a bit on an off the beaten path area of it. This is Cañete , a very old place, that needs to be discovered for the uniqueness of my Spain. Let me tell you a bit more on the Gate of the Virgin or La Puerta de la Virgen in Cañete. Hope you enjoy it as I.

This is the kind of town visitors should head first to really feel Spain; its hard without the language and not used to driving, but it is all worth it for the experience. Try it!  The Puerta de la Virgen or  Gate of the Virgin, 12-13C to see it you go parellel to Calle Padre Lorenzo. The Gate of the Virgin is of direct access to the old Muslim wall and the opening is made in the wall itself!

The Cañete castle is accessible on foot and is of Andalusian origin, it had several extensions, especially after the Castilian conquest. The last reforms are from the 19C, from the Carlist Wars. It stands on top of a steep, narrow and long hill, dominating the town, next to the Mayor del Molinillo river. Yes way up long march. The nice ruins castle or  Castillo de Cañete is on top of a narrow hilly area where you can look at the town below and the  Mayor del Molinillo river. You can see the Wall ramparts or Muralla de Cañete, the town in parts is surrounded by it with Moorish origins and Christians modifications inside you can see the gate or Puerta de las Eras,with a horseshoe arc and Moorish lettering. The medieval Muslim wall was departing from the Castle and completely ringing the population. It is in good condition and has interesting entrance gates. In some sections you can see some windows of the houses open to the outside of the wall. The gate of the Virgin is a small arch of half a point with trim kit, Romanesque type of the 12-13C. Next to it there is a small statue of the same time and belonging to the hermitage of the Virgen de la Zarza, although the rest of this temple is more modern.

It is one of the three major accesses of the population open on the Islamic wall. Muslim work of the 10C, had several reforms after the Castilian annexation of the population, perhaps in the 12C or beginning of the 13C. It takes its name from the immediate hermitage of the Virgen de la Zarza, located next to the square where the pious tradition places the miraculous appearance of the patron Saint of Cañete in an imprecise moment on horseback between the 13C and 14C. It is the south gate of the wall and it facilitated the access to the west of the population, on the other side of the hill of the castle, as well as to the mountainous paths and cattle trails that were heading to the upper basin of the Guadazaón river. The gate, of modest dimensions ,only 2.5 meters wide by 4 meters of height to the key of the arc, was closed with two double-leaf gates, with exterior and interior, whose ranges are still preserved. All worth the detour !!

A bit of history I like:

The town was the birthplace of Álvaro de Luna, a Castilian nobleman of the Luna family at the end of the 14C. He was Constable of Castilla, Grand Master of Santiago and worthy servant of King Juan II of Castilla. He is buried in the Santiago chapel, in the ambulatory of the Toledo Cathedral. During the Spanish Civil War of 1936, the Republican militias who arrived from the Levantine region devastated the parish church, the Chapel of San Julián and the Sanctuary of Our Lady or Nuestra Señora de la Zarza, destroying   the images that the Christian piety   safeguarded and as far as worship existed in its sacred precincts , and which later they dedicated to warehouses or garages ; likewise, in the last moments of the war they destroyed the two beautiful bells of the parish Church.  In addition, in 2015, it was discoverd a mount call locally El Cabezuelo or the big head with three megaliths steps that could be possible pyramids in steps the first in Spain. Even if the majority of experts believe is a Celtic Oppidum from the 3C.

The town of Cañete on the gate of the virgin : https://www.villadecanete.com/monumentos.php?ID=5

The Cuenca province tourist office on Cañete : https://www.descubrecuenca.com/en/enclaves-y-poblaciones/la-serrania/canete-villa-de-canete-30

The Castilla La Mancha region on Cañete: http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/canete-64231/descripcion/

And there you go folks,another off the beaten path wonderful place in my beloved Spain. Cañete is old and nice and the Gates there are all wonderful and especially the Gate of the Virgin. Hope you enjoy it as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to alll !!!