Itinerary
Highway N-521 towards Portugal, take the junction with the Ex-207 in the direction of Alcántara, from here on the Ex-117 we will arrive at Valencia de Alcántara
Distances
From Cáceres to Malpartida de Cáceres, 13 km; 8 km to Arroyo de la Luz; 27 km to Brozas; 15 km to Alcántara: 27 km to Valencia de Alcántara; 100 Km. Cáceres. Very close to the city, about 13 km away, in the Natural Monument of Los Barruecos de Malpartida de Cáceres is the surprising Vostell-Malpartida Museum. Founded in 1976 by the German artist Wolf Vostell in an old 18th century wool wash, related to the Mesta, it was conceived as an avant-garde meeting place for Art and Life, Art and Nature. Vostell, an artist of recognized international prestige, was the discoverer of the décollage technique, father of the European happening, initiator of the fluxus current and a fundamental figure in contemporary post-war art. The Museum occupies 14,000 m2 with three major collections: Wolf and Mercedes Vostell Collection, Fluxus Collection-Gino di Maggio Donation and the Collection of Conceptual Artists. You can also visit the Interpretation Center where it is possible to obtain extensive information on the flora and fauna of the area. The Juan José Narbón Monographic Museum, installed in a central street in the town of Malpartida, gathers a large sample of the artist, undoubtedly one of the most relevant figures on the Extremadura art scene. In Arroyo de la Luz is the Church of the Assumption, with a magnificent altarpiece with twenty panels by the Renaissance painter Luis de Morales. BROZAS was in its day Encomienda Mayor of the Order of Alcántara. The church of Santa María is one of the most important in Extremadura, dating from the 16th-17th centuries and contains a magnificent Baroque altarpiece. In Alcántara is the Roman Bridge over the Tagus River, from the time of the Roman Emperor Trajan. Above it there is an honorific arch with the names of the Lusitanian peoples who paid for the expenses of the work. On one side there is a small temple with the inscription in which appears the name of the architect who built it, Gaius Iulius Lacer. Also in this town is the Convent of San Benito, headquarters of the Military Order of Alcántara, built in the 16th century with the collaboration of the major architect of the Pedro de Ybarra order. Outside, in front of the remarkable three-story gallery with Renaissance arches, a semicircular auditorium has been built where Alcántara's classical theater festivals are held in summer. The church of Santa María de Almocóvar dates from the 13th century, and it seems that it was built on an old mosque. Five canvases by the painter Luis de Morales are kept in the sacristy.
Valencia de Alcántara
Among its most outstanding monuments is the Church of Our Lady of Rocamador, with a baroque altarpiece, a crucifix attributed to Berruguete and in the sacristy a magnificent work: The Virgin with the Santos Juanes by Luis de Morales. In this church Isabel, daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, married the King of Portugal, Manuel I, the Fortunate. The Parish Church of the Incarnation is Renaissance, although with later reforms. In the town there is also the Gothic quarter, which preserves houses of popular architecture with stone façades and pointed arches. In the surroundings is the Ruta de los Dólmenes, with a census of about 50 dolmens; it is an impressive collection of megalithic architectures made with large blocks of granite or slate stone. Gastronomy: Extremadura gazpacho, partridge in the fashion of Alcántara and for dessert, traditional sweets called monumenteras. Festivities: San Antón on January 17 in Brozas; Carreras festival, on Easter Monday in Arroyo de la Luz, in which riders cross the main street of the town in a horse race; Pilgrimage of San Isidro Labrador on May 15 in Valencia de Alcántara; and Alcántara Classical Theater festivals in August.
