Albacete Attractions

Other features of interest in the lower town are La Sartén (the Pan), an 18th century banqueting hall, and the turn- of-the century shops in the glass- roofed Pasaje de Lodares.

The most important building in the old upper town (el Alto de la Villa) is the cathedral of San Juan Bautista (16th century), a Gothic church originally designed by Diego de Siloé and continued in Renaissance style. It has a fine Churrigueresque high altar (1726). In the sacristy are five grisaille wall paintings of Biblical scenes (1550).

Charmingly situated on a rocky hillside above the Río Jucar, to the north of Alpera, is the village of Alcalá de Jucar, dominated by its tower.

The N 322 runs from Balazote through lonely country to Alcaraz (alt. 798m/2,618ft), 79km/49mi from Albacete. Over this picturesque little medieval town, on a nearby hill, stands a Moorish castle. Alcaraz was the birthplace in 1509 of the 16th century architect Andrés de Vandelvira.

From Albacete N 322 runs southwest to Balazote, where the Iberian sculpture known as the Bicha de Balazote (Hind of Balazote), dating from the fifth century B.C., was found in 1898.

64km/40mi from Chinchilla on the road to Almansa (N 430) a side road goes off to Alpera, a few kilometers from which are the Cuevas de la Vieja, with Stone Age rock paintings of hunting and fighting scenes. To see them, apply to the mayor's office in Alpera.

The little town of Hellín (alt. 566m/1,857ft), 61km/38mi from Albacete on N 301, has many typical old houses with Baroque façades. The magnificent camarín in the church of the Conventos Franciscanos also dates from the Baroque period.

8km/5mi east of Hellín are the Cuevas de Minateda, with Stone Age representations of men and animals.

In the surrounding area are sulfur mines which were already being worked in Roman times.

An annual drum festival is held in Hellín.

From Albacete N 301 runs northwest, crosses the Canal de María Cristina and continues via La Gineta to La Roda (alt. 716m/2,349ft), 36km/22mi from Albacete, a little market town in a fertile agricultural area.

The church of El Salvador (16th C.), with a dome of dark-blue azulejos, has a fine Churrigueresque retablo of 1721.

The Museo de Antonio Martínez has a collection of material on the history of the town.

From Alcaraz a road runs south by way of Fábricas de Riopar to Siles in the Sierra de Alcaraz, near which is the Cueva de Chorro. An impressive sight here is the source of the Río Mundo emerging from a cave.