We were very sad to leave Benavente after five wonderful days of quiet living in a relaxed and somewhat remote Spanish town. It was the ideal gentle start to a holiday. The room in the Parador was blissful, and the staff were friendly and willing to chat – always important for Jeremy to help recover his Spanish! The churches – Santa Maria and San Juan – are beautiful, market day was fun, and walking in the gardens was relaxing. But it was time to move on.
Benavente to Puebla de Sanabria
The first half of the journey (84 kilometres out of a total of 166 kilometres) was across further flat grainfields of the meseta to Puebla de Sanabria, which stands on a broad river plain near the Spanish/Portuguese border.
The scenery changed quite quickly as we started seeing more trees (holm oaks, poplars, and some chestnuts), and the hills came closer.
Puebla de Sanabria
Puebla de Sanabria was a fortified and walled Mediaeval town on the confluence of the Tera and Castro rivers and close to the Portuguese border. It is one of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain. From the 15th century the town was controlled by the Counts of Benavente.
There was no choice – we had to make our way up the hill to the castle. It was market day so there were quite a few people on the streets, and we also passed intrepid pilgrims.
Churches and a castle
On top of the hill we found the old Plaza Mayor with the Church of Nuestra Señora del Azogue, the Church of ?, and the castle of the 15th century.
The Church of Nuestra Sonora del Azogue is a curious name. I have read that Azogue means ‘Mercury’ and is associated with the Roman god of trade.1 The Plaza Mayor was the market place in the Middle Ages. The church dates from the 12th century, but has been modified over the centuries, like most of the churches we visited.
Claudio Julian Garcia3 But cattle were also lost, and the lands on which they fed. More than 120,000 hectares were burned.4
Just before the final stretch into Verin we stopped in the hills for a breather. I found small pink and white wildflowers, and a cystus, and this rock with quite extraordinary colours. I think this might show iron oxides? Oh, and the view was amazing!
The Parador of Verin
And finally we arrived at the Parador of Verin.
The drive from Benavente to Verin was a long day, but another super day, full of beautiful and interesting things to enjoy.
Sources
- https://www.pueblasanabria.com/turismo/iglesia-de-nuestra-senora-del-azogue.html
- https://edithnevenkaduboromero.blogspot.com/2018/10/%5B/efn-note%5D was born in the town and was a priest who taught the children of fishermen in Santander in free schools. He martyred in 1936 (why don’t we just say ‘murdered’?) and his portrait hangs in the church. During the Spanish Civil War 1936-39 there was a period of intense persecution against the Roman Catholic Church, and religion, The Red Terror. Apparently thousands were killed, including nearly 7,000 priests. Of course, the story is more complex than this, and includes long-standing religious and social tensions.
Claudio Julian Garcia’s portrait in the church 
The Hermitage of San Cayetano, late 17th century The castle was built towards the end of the 15th century by the 4th Count of Benavente, Don Rodrigo de Pimentel. It is very imposing from the outside, and although it is possible to visit we felt we didn’t have enough time to do it justice.
Exterior walls of the castle 
View from the walls of the castle in Puebla de Sanabria over the new town It was an interesting visit but I had the feeling I was I the wrong time zone…
The road to Verin
We enjoyed a coffee and herbal tea and took to the road again.
The road from Puebla de Sanabria to Verin Then, c.30kms outside Puebla de Sanabria, we saw the first evidence of the devastating fires which hit this region over the summer. Houses were surrounded by burnt trees, burned land stretched over the hills for as far as one could see, and on both sides of the road. It must have been horrendous. People in Benavente told us they had to wear face masks for several days.
Honey is one of the main products and farmers lost both hives and the flowers which feed the bees.2https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cge211w5lr5o
- https://www.renewablematter.eu/en/iberian-wildfires-drive-spains-highest-emissions-in-two-decades
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