Patones can now be visited virtually
Its black architecture, its natural landscapes, its routes, its restaurants... Patons It has long been one of the most visited municipalities in the Sierra North of Madrid , whether to climb, take photos, ride a bike, take a walk or give the body a gastronomic tribute. The restrictions derived from the health crisis They limited and continue to limit the possibility of attending in person, but they have launched an idea that, after a few months, has become a reality: Patones can now be visited virtually.
Next to the area Tourism of Patones , the local development area and the neighbors themselves, at the head of the project are Diana and Kris, the photographers of the local company CucuFlash . "The virtual tour He arises from the need to travel, which has been cut short by confinement. In this way, even from our sofa, we can discover new places and write them down on the wish list for when we can move freely”, explains Diana.
A virtual visit to return to Patones with a click
The virtual visit does not lack detail . We can not only go through the bucolic streets of Patones de Arriba and its corners (such as the cemetery or the old wash house), we can also look out over the Pontón de la Oliva dam, walk the main hiking trails, watch the sunset from the viewpoint of the Atazar dam or observe snowy Patones from Alto la Bola . This is how Iris explains it, from the Tourist Office (the old church that we found when we got to Patons from above ): "From the tourism area of Patones we elaborated a script with places that we considered attractive for tourists, but also with those that have value for the neighbors". Diana points out that, apart from showing the most emblematic places, they also wanted “invite visitors to see less frequented places, in addition to showing the most popular routes”.
Kris from CucuFlash , she admits that the creation process “has been very complex. First, working with the Tourism Area of the City Council, the objectives were set and they outlined the profiles of the visitors to be able to channel the information . Later, according to the established guidelines, the structure of the visit was developed in parallel and the panoramic views began. The next step was the collection and implantation of external information, such as old photos, audios and web links, the texts and their translations into English were created . In the end, after a period of tests and navigability corrections, the visit was included in the framework of our town's website”. Among all this type of interactive resources, the audios also have an added value, since they have “ recorded the voices of the neighbors telling things about the town”.
CucuFlash has been in charge of documenting the surroundings of Patones, in addition to the testimonies of the neighbors
The virtual visit has been operational since December 2020 at the Patones tourism website, on the Villa San Roque website and on the Villas de Madrid program . “Many people have already used it, both neighbors and visitors. In addition, due to the situation of confinement generated by the third wave of the pandemic, it has been promoted through the social networks of the Community of Madrid”, says Iris.
The virtual visit It is designed for those people who cannot go to Patones right now or who find some of its corners inaccessible. It is also useful for planning our future visit, thanks to its routes and maps. And it will also be of great help to us when we can go in person, since will give us information about each site.
The virtual visit will also continue to develop, as Kris points out: “It is a dynamic project, we want it to grow. As far as possible we want include more information about village life and document curious phenomena , such as the passage of the storm Filomena and its snowfall . Our goal would also be to be able to include more information on cultural events, like the festival of candles . and get more testimonials from neighbors , so that the visitor can take a look at the surroundings of Patones, but also get to know its greatest treasure, which are its people”.
Patones Planet