Alcañiz

It was Roman, it was Arabic, it belonged to the Order of Calatrava, it was besieged by French troops who then destroyed the city, it was a battle field in the Carlist wars, and in 1938 was brutally bombarded by Italian planes allied to Franco.

The heroic city of Alcañiz has a lot to tell, however, now, in peace time, the thing that makes the beautiful village proud is that since 1140, a romantic halo surrounds it thanks to being named in the beautiful “Cantar del Mio Cid”.

Alcañiz has a group of marvelous buildings, but without doubt, the most outstanding is the castle of Los Calatravos, constructed in the XII century on a crag which dominates the city and which today is used as a Parador. From the Plaza Mayor it is a delight to lose yourself in the small streets and go up on foot to the castle. The place offers some fantastic views of the county and the old roofs of Alcañiz.

Alcañiz could also be called "Alcañizes", because there are two. One, that of the morning, when the sun rises in the sky, like molten lead. Then the village, becomes part of its surroundings with the result that it is difficult to tell which brushstrokes of the painting belong to it.

The ochre dominates the punished earth, a thousand and one times, because of the rigours of the climate. Houses that push against each other in a hermetic complex, as if wanting to imitate the flock of sheep which push against each other to defend themselves against the heat of the morning and the cold of the evening.