Extreme Siberia.
“Empty, empty, forgotten...** The depopulation of the interior of Spain has deserved many adjectives and none of them good**. And yet, it is in the most remote regions where many of those towns that appear on the lists of the most beautiful in the country are located”, thus begins the new book by the journalist specializing in travel Francis Ribes published by Anaya Touring.
We know little about our country , although this year with the sanitary restrictions we have thrown ourselves into the mountains and we have been bitten (even more) by the bug for everything that sounds “rural and sparsely inhabited”. In Spain there are many towns and natural areas that, despite their great beauty, are dying in oblivion . And that is the great proposal of Routes to discover empty Spain, that you take the car, a backpack and a good supply of food and get to know your country, those regions that hide more than you might think. Because that that appearances deceive is fulfilled by reading this book.
Regions such as Aragon, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Galicia, Extremadura, La Rioja, Valencian Community and Navarra They are the ones you will see in this book. Why don't they show up more? Francesc Ribas, its author, gives us the answer.
“The basic criterion is depopulation . I looked for areas with low population density, bordering on the demographic desert , and these are mainly concentrated in two areas. On the one hand, the call Celtiberian mountain range -also known as the South Lapland-, an immense territory that extends from Burgos to Valencia , with a density below 7 inhabitants per km2 and a fairly aged population, and which includes provinces such as Guadalajara, Soria, Cuenca or Teruel”.
'Routes to discover empty Spain' by Francesc Ribes.
And, on the other hand,** he focused on the area known as La Raya**, “the lands near the border with Portugal, from Ourense to Badajoz, where there is also a low population density. I must point out, however, that in many of these regions** there is a vitality that does not correspond to the little attention paid to them by the administrations**. An energy is perceived to claim their land and its landscapes, which is good for tourism , but they also need better communications and services to be places where there are opportunities to live and work”.
The routes, illustrated with maps, inspiring photographs and indications on where to sleep or eat, place us in territories that are sometimes protected under the figure of a natural park, such as the Bardenas Reales, the Arribes del Duero, the Serranía de Cuenca or the Alto Tajo , and which, in general, can only be accessed by road or dirt track. And although it focuses on these two great territories, the author plans to write a second part that includes others, such as the interior of Andalusia.
Francesc explains to Traveler.es that it has not been easy to compile these 23 itineraries in such detail because he has had to travel and discover them himself. “ The project began to take shape about four years ago , during a vacation in the Matarraña region. How was it possible that in such a beautiful area, with so many attractions, to the point that someone gave it the nickname of ' spanish tuscany ’, so few people lived? Little more than 8,000 inhabitants scattered in about 900 km2”.
Over time, he verified that there were many more uninhabited regions like that, so he compiled information until he joined Anaya Touring on his way, with whom he had already collaborated on other occasions.
Gypsy jump in Monfragüe.
“SPAIN IS GREENER THAN IT SEEMS”
How can it be that we have ignored some such beautiful places in our geography? Perhaps it is one of the questions you have in mind when you open its pages...
“Ignorance is relative , and depends largely on the distance. La Alcarria can be a fairly unknown region for a citizen of Barcelona, for example, but not so much for one from Madrid. Something that I think is surprising if you start accumulating trips through the interior is verifying that Spain is greener than it seems . Sometimes the concept of an uninhabited Spain with desert moors is assimilated, but Spain is above all a mountainous country with abundant forests —which have sometimes reconquered areas that were once cultivated—”.
Among these surprising places, the journalist highlights the Sierra de la Demanda, the Alto Tajo or the Serranía de Cuenca . And if we ask him** where he would start a new adventure this year** he suggests that we do not lose sight of the weather information because in these inland regions the winters are harsh and cold.
"I would recommend the region of Matarraña, in Teruel . I inaugurated a year there, and yes, it was cold, but with a bright and splendid sky, and a sun that was warm enough. I also recommend going to Extremadura, it is a region that always has surprises in store and where the winters are not very harsh, except in the mountain areas north of Cáceres. Siberia in Extremadura, for example, despite its name, is a place to be discovered”.
Here you can closely follow some of these** 23 routes to discover empty Spain**. Enjoy them!
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