La Alberca

For a more subtle and authentic glimpse into the heart of Spain, there is no better place to begin with than La Alberca, a town that still holds traditions and customs that date back to the 14th Century, located in the province of Salamanca, at 1084 meters above sea level and nestled on the slopes of an outstanding natural landscape of La Sierra de Francia where the isolation and the conflux  of granite, slate and quartzite create a breeding ground for a variety of wild vegetation and beckoning forests.

This charming town was founded in the 1300s and was the first village to be declared a National Historical Monument by the Spanish government, followed by others on the same area like Mogarraz, San Martin del Castañar, Miranda del Castañar, Madroñal, Cepeda, Herguijuela de la Sierra, Sequeros and more.

The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Assumption dates from the 18th century.

Very well preserved, the new buildings are made in the same manner and style as the old ones, with its fabulous medieval architecture, narrow cobblestone roads and thatched roofs.

The houses are made of stone and granite quarried from the surrounding environs and supported with wooden beams.

The Plaza Major

  

In La Alberca there is a tradition of having a pig loose in the streets that is fed by the neighbours. The pig, named “San Anton”, is blessed on July 13, and released onto the town’s streets. On January17, the feast day of San antonio (Saint Anthony), the pig is raffled off at the doors of the church. The funds are raised for the Brothers of St. Anthony.