This Roman road, part of the road called Iter Ab Emerita Caesaraugusta, built in the time of Emperor Augustus. The Vía de la Plata left from Mérida and ended in Astorga, continuing north to Gijón and south to Seville, largely coinciding with the current route of the A-66. Along its route were the posadas or mansio and the milestones, which indicated the distances of the nearest cities and those of the beginning and end of the road. It was essential for the transfer of goods, livestock and troops.
Visigothic Spain abandoned many Roman enclaves on the Via de la Plata; However, the Muslims used it to penetrate and move through the peninsula, hence the name Al Balath -the road-, from which some derive the name of La Plata.
Today the Ruta de la Plata, with an extension of 300 km, acts as the backbone of Extremadura, since it crosses it from North to South, communicating the towns of Baños de Montemayor, Hervás, Plasencia, Monfragüe, Cañaveral, Casar de Cáceres , Cáceres, Aldea del Cano, Mérida, Almendralejo, Villafranca de los Barros, Zafra, Fuente de Cantos and Monesterio, linking an important cultural and landscape heritage.
If you start in the North of the Province of Cáceres, in Baños de Montemayor there is a Spa of Roman origin with a great tradition in the province. It is an area of great scenic beauty and famous for its crafts, especially basketry and chestnut furniture. In Baños there is the General Interpretation Center of the Vía de la Plata.
A few kilometers away is Hervás, with a significant Jewish Quarter, declared a Historic-Artistic Site and a Museum dedicated to the sculptor Enrique Pérez Comendador, born in this town. The museum is located in the Palacio de los Dávila, occupying an old building from the 18th century. In the baroque Convent of the Trinitarian Fathers the Tourist Inn is installed.
At the Villar de Plasencia crossroads, 4 km away, there are the ruins of the Roman city of Cáparra. In it we can see the Roman arch with four fronts through which the Vía de la Plata passed. The excavation, widely signposted, indicates the remains corresponding to temples, private houses, public buildings and an amphitheater. It is very interesting to visit the Cáparra Interpretation Center, which helps to better understand the past of this city.
The next town is Plasencia, founded by King Alfonso VIII in the 12th century. Plasencia preserves part of its walls with its gates and defensive towers, the concentric layout of streets that lead to the Plaza Mayor. The Town Hall is located here and the traditional Tuesday market is held. The most outstanding building is the Cathedral, which responds to two different construction moments; to the first corresponds the Old Cathedral, between Romanesque and Gothic, and to the second, the New, built in the Renaissance period, with still Gothic interior tracery but already Plateresque façade. The most important architects of the time participated in its execution. Inside, the magnificent Main Altarpiece, from the seventeenth century, contains paintings by Francisco Rizi and sculptures by Gregorio Fernández from Valladolid. Among the many pieces of interest that the cathedral keeps, the choir stands out, with a 15th century stalls made of walnut wood by the master Rodrigo Alemán.
Inside the Cathedral, the Cathedral Museum exhibits, together with archaeological remains, a complete collection of religious art of choir books, silverware, goldsmiths, liturgical vestments, sculptures, paintings and two tables by the painter Luis de Morales -Jesús atado a la columna y una Piedad-.
Very close to the Cathedral, is the Pérez Enciso Provincial Ethnographic and Textile Museum, the most important of its kind in the province.
Plasencia, episcopal seat and residence of nobles, is a continuous sample of palace and religious architecture. The House of the Dean or of the Two Towers, the Palace of the Marquis of Mirabel, the Church of San Nicolás, San Esteban, the Episcopal Palace or the Provincial Hospital, headquarters of the Santa Maria Cultural Institution, are examples of this. In the Convent of San Vicente Ferrer, dating from the 15th century, the Parador de Turismo has been installed. Also noteworthy is the Diocesan Priestly House of the architects Miguel De Guzmán, Andrés Jaque and Enrique Krahe finalist for the Manuel de la Dehesa Award at the VIII Biennial of Spanish Architecture, held in 2005.
The Camino takes us to the Monfragüe National Park, one of the most important natural spaces in Spain. More than 75% of the protected species inhabit it. In Villarreal de San Carlos is the Interpretation Center of the Park.
La siguiente localidad es Cañaveral, por donde pasaba el Camino Real utilizado por los pastores trashumantes para el traslado de los ganados. En torno a la Plaza Mayor y las calles principales se alza la Iglesia Parroquial de Santa Marina en estilo gótico y con retablos barrocos en el interior. También hay dos ermitas, la de San Roque y la del Humilladero. A unos kilómetros de Cañaveral se encuentra el singular Convento del Palancar, fundado por San Pedro de Alcántara en el siglo XVI.
In the direction of Cáceres we will find on the right the remains of the Roman Bridge of Alconétar, moved in the seventies to the place it occupies when the town of this name is covered by the waters of the Tagus, mansio or rest area of the Vía de la Plata . A little further on, Floripes Castle is also covered by water and only part of its tower can be seen from it.
We arrive at Cáceres, an old Norba Caesarina colony, founded by the Romans in the 1st century BC. It will acquire great importance in the Almohad period, at which time the wall, towers and the military Alcazaba were built, of which the cistern for water storage is preserved. The walls, a large part of which are preserved today, house the Third Monumental Complex of Europe, with palaces, churches and convents built for the most part during the 15th and 16th centuries and which today constitute a very important urban complex which has deserved recognition as a National Artistic Historic Site since 1949 and a World Heritage Site in 1986. A whole network of Museums, among which we will mention the Museum of Cáceres, the Casa Pedrilla Museum, and Interpretation Centers such as the Roman Camp of Cáceres El Viejo helps to complete the history of the city, a must-see on this route along the Ruta de la Plata.
Continuing south, the next town is Aldea del Cano, where you can visit the Church of San Martín and the Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de los Retablos. Then Aljucén, with a name of Arabic origin that means castle, indicating its Muslim origin; It is a small municipality with an interesting 16th century church that preserves a beautiful Renaissance facade.
