El Club · La Alberca

The Canchal de las Cabras Pintadas is a rocky shelter with prehistoric rock art located in the surroundings of Las Batuecas, within the municipality of La Alberca (Salamanca). It is a place associated with a quartzite projection on the left bank of the Batuecas river, in a landscape of strong relief and great natural and cultural value. The Castilla y León heritage file describes it as a shelter oriented to the S-SW, with seven panels and approximate dimensions of 9 x 3 meters. The most outstanding features are its cave paintings and engravings, with several dozens of semi-naturalistic goats and figures of schematic type, linked to prehistoric chronologies of the III and II millennium B.C. Scenes with human figures and other schematic motifs have also been documented in the cave paintings and engravings in the surroundings of La Alberca. The site is of interest because it unites archaeological heritage and mountain landscape: the shelter dominates the valley from about 25 meters high and is integrated in an environment of remarkable beauty, next to the course of the Batuecas. In addition, it is protected by the Spanish Historical Heritage Law and is part of the group of rock shelters of La Alberca recognized by the Junta de Castilla y León. Its visit allows to understand the relationship between the prehistoric groups and this mountain space, today one of the best known cave enclaves in the south of Salamanca. Access is by trail from Las Batuecas, and the visit is free, without the current guide service.

The Ermita del Humilladero is a small hermitage or humilladero of traditional religious character located in La Alberca, in the province of Salamanca, Castilla y León, next to one of the old accesses to the town center. Its location responds to the historical function of the humilladeros: oratories of entrance and exit of the town, linked to the prayer of travelers and neighbors before starting way or returning to the town. The construction dates back to the last third of the 16th century, according to concordant informative references on the Albercan heritage. Architecturally it presents a popular and sober typology, with square plant and granite masonry factory reinforced with ashlars in the corners. The small portico or portalillo of the facade, covered and supported by columns of Ionic order on plinths, reinforces its image of rural religious architecture. Among its patrimonial elements the image of the Cristo del Humilladero stands out, a piece of strong local devotion. The hermitage also maintains an active presence in the popular religiosity of La Alberca, since the Christ is taken out in procession on Holy Thursday within the Holy Week of the municipality. Its value lies not only in its architecture, but also in its integration in the historical ensemble of La Alberca and in the network of small devotional constructions that articulate the traditional accesses to the village, within the cultural landscape of the Sierra de Francia.

The Hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Majadas Viejas is a hermitage-sanctuary located in the municipality of La Alberca, in the Sierra de Francia (Salamanca), about 3 km east of the town center, on the road to Mogarraz. It stands in a traditional oak and chestnut grove, historically linked to the pastoral use of the environment and local popular devotion. For its constructive characteristics, it is a temple of simple stone masonry, with a portico of Romanesque tradition and an exterior pulpit of granite. The consulted sources also point out the presence in the interior of a Romanesque reproduction of the image of the Virgin, inspired in a carving dated in the XII century, data that refers to the medieval origin of the devotion, although the present hermitage is not documented with precision in those files as a work entirely of that time. The complex is closely linked to the religious and festive identity of La Alberca, since it hosts a traditional pilgrimage held on Whit Monday, shared with neighbors from Mogarraz and Monforte de la Sierra. In this celebration, the Loa de Majadas Viejas is performed, a popular play of great regional roots, which makes the chapel a heritage site of religious, ethnographic and scenic value.

The Ermita de San Antonio is a small hermitage or religious chapel located in La Alberca, in the province of Salamanca, next to the access to the town center on San Antonio street and at the coordinates indicated. It is a heritage resource linked to the historical environment of the Sierra de Francia and the traditional urban landscape of the town. The available information identifies it as a building of worship of a sober and functional character, although the sources consulted do not provide a detailed architectural description nor do they allow us to assign it a specific style with certainty. There is an inscription on the lintel of the main door dated 1670, which places at least one phase of the building in the 17th century. Because of its scale and location, it serves as a religious landmark and a reference point at the entrance to the village. Its heritage value is linked both to its age and its presence in the historic center of La Alberca, declared in 1940, within a municipality with a high density of traditional and religious elements. It should not be confused with other hermitages of La Alberca, such as the Humilladero or San Marcos, which are distinct resources with their own documentation.

The Hermitage of San Blas is a small popular hermitage of religious character located in La Alberca, in the province of Salamanca, within the Sierra de Francia, very close to the avenue of Batuecas and the access to Las Batuecas. It is a heritage resource linked to the traditional religious landscape of the town and to its ancient funerary environment, since it was also known as that of the Santos Mártires and was associated for a long time with the cemetery of La Alberca. The sources consulted do not give an exact date of construction, but it does have a clearly traditional typology and simple architecture, typical of the popular construction solutions of the Sierra de Francia. The building has a rectangular floor plan, a single nave, covered entrance porch and belfry, elements that define its current image and its use as a small place of worship. The hermitage is especially linked to one of the best known traditions of La Alberca, the Day of the Banner. According to local tradition, the banner preserved as a symbol of the town is placed on the belfry during the annual pilgrimage, maintaining a historical custom of strong identity value for the town. In the patrimonial context of La Alberca, declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1940, the San Blas Chapel is part of the group of small rural chapels that preserve the religious and festive memory of the municipality. Its interest is both devotional and ethnographic, due to its relationship with popular celebrations and with the historical configuration of the accesses to the urban center.

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is the main parish church of La Alberca, in the Sierra de Francia, Salamanca, and is located in the Plaza de la Iglesia, in the historic center of the municipality. It is part of the monumental complex of the town, declared a Historic-Artistic Site, and is one of its most recognizable religious and urban landmarks. The present church was built between 1730 and 1731 according to a project by Manuel de Larra Churriguera. Although the documentation describes it as a church of neoclassical or sober language, its construction responds to a work of the eighteenth century linked to the Salamanca architectural tradition of the Churriguera family. It has a Latin cross plan, three naves and transept, with square pillars, semicircular arches and lunette vaults. In the interior it emphasizes the pulpit of polychrome granite of the XVI century, coming from the previous temple, as well as several golden altarpieces. Also especially venerated is the image of the Santísimo Cristo del Sudor, deeply rooted in the local and regional religiosity. Because of its chronology, its architecture and its central role in the life of La Alberca, this temple is an essential piece of the historical heritage of the town and a reference of cultural tourism in Salamanca.

The Laguna de San Marcos is a small lagoon or wetland of rural character located next to La Alberca, in Salamanca, at the foot of the mountain environment of the Sierra de Francia and near the hermitage of the same name. Its coordinates place it to the southwest of the urban center, in a place of easy transit from the town and very associated with the traditional Alberca landscape. It is a wetland area immersed in a dense oak forest, which gives it value as a natural and scenic element rather than by large dimensions or spectacular morphologies. The interest of the visit lies in the contrast between the water, the forest and the views towards the Francia river valley, as well as the atmosphere of seclusion provided by the ruin or historical presence linked to the nearby hermitage. The area is mentioned as a wetland of special interest in Castilla y León, which reinforces its environmental relevance within the municipality of La Alberca. In tourist inventories of the Sierra de Francia, the hermitage of San Marcos is also mentioned in this same enclave, with coordinates very close to those of the resource, confirming that the lagoon and the religious element form a small landscape and patrimonial group.

La Torrita is a natural site located in the municipality of La Alberca, in the Sierra de Francia (Salamanca), within the landscape of the Natural Park of Las Batuecas-Sierra de Francia. It is an outstanding rock formation, described as a natural stone sculpture that emerges from the mountain relief, in a mid-mountain environment marked by cliffs, slopes and wide panoramic views. Due to its position, the main interest of the visit is the landscape: from this point there are open views over the valleys of Las Batuecas and Las Hurdes, as well as a very clear reading of the granite modeling of the mountain range. The enclave is usually integrated in hiking routes that link La Alberca with the surroundings of Portillo and the valley of Batuecas, so it is especially appreciated by those looking for natural viewpoints and mountain traverses. Its value is not only scenic, but also territorial, being part of an area of high environmental protection and of great tourist recognition within the Sierra de Francia. La Torrita complements the monumental attraction of La Alberca with a resource of nature sober and very representative of the Salamanca mountain landscape, where geology, Mediterranean forest and valley views define the visiting experience.

Mirador de Los Bardales is a panoramic viewpoint located in La Alberca, in the Sierra de Francia, province of Salamanca. It is part of the set of viewpoints collected by the regional administration for natural areas of Castilla y León, and is located in a mountain environment of great scenic value, linked to the traditional Alberca farmhouse and the slopes surrounding the town. The observation point is accessible by a wooden walkway and is designed to stop and contemplate the open landscape of the mountains. From here there are views of the Sierra de la Peña de Francia, the Sierra de la Alberca, the Sierra de Béjar and the valley of the Alagón river, a combination that summarizes well the mountainous relief and the laces of this part of Salamanca. Its main interest is scenic: it allows to read at a glance the transition between peaks, slopes and meadows, with the Sierra de Francia as a backdrop. La Alberca is also a municipality well known for its heritage and tourist value, declared a historic-artistic site and belonging to the network of The Most Beautiful Villages of Spain, which reinforces the attractiveness of the viewpoint as a complementary stop on the visit to the village. There is no specific physical dimension of the resource in the sources consulted, but its function as a panoramic point within an itinerary of nature and heritage in a very visited environment of Castilla y León is clear.

Viewpoint located next to the Puerto del Portillo, in the municipality of La Alberca (Salamanca), within the mountainous area of the Sierra de Francia. It is located at an altitude of about 1,250 meters, at a crossing point between slopes and dividing walls that acts as a natural balcony over the relief of the area. Its main interest is panoramic: from here there are wide views towards the valley of Las Batuecas and Las Hurdes, as well as the sierras of Francia and Béjar. The immediate surroundings combine tracks, firebreaks and masses of pines and heaths, so it is also useful to understand the Mediterranean mountain landscape of this region. The viewpoint stands out as a brief stop on hiking trails or road access to the port. Its value is not only scenic, but also territorial, because it allows to read the transition between the mountain forests and the embedded valleys of southern Salamanca. It is located in a municipality especially recognized for its heritage and for its integration in the tourist itineraries of the Sierra de Francia, which reinforces its role as a point of observation of the local landscape.

The Senda Accesible Valle de Las Batuecas is a short and linear route located in the municipality of La Alberca, in the access to the valley of Las Batuecas, within the Natural Park of Las Batuecas-Sierra de Francia. The regional tourist card places it with a length of 1.5 km and low difficulty, designed for a short walk on foot and very easy to follow. The itinerary runs between the access parking by the road from La Alberca to Las Mestas and the surroundings of the Monastery of the Desert of San José, in a very characteristic Mediterranean mountain landscape. The route allows you to observe the valley floor and the course of the Batuecas River, which is reached by a wooden footbridge and two small bridges. The official description highlights the presence of alder, cork oak and strawberry trees, along with an undergrowth of mountain broom, lavender, rockrose and heather, as well as interpretive panels on flora and fauna. Also mentioned are species such as mountain goats, blackbirds, salamanders, brown trout, and chanterelles, which gives the walk natural interest beyond the route itself. Its relevance is not only scenic: the valley of Las Batuecas was declared an asset of cultural interest with the category of historical site, and is also protected by its fit in the natural space and the presence of shelters with prehistoric paintings in the valley. This combination of ecological, geological and patrimonial value explains why this environment figures prominently in the nature offer of La Alberca and the Sierra de Francia. For the visitor, it is of interest as a very accessible approach to the heart of the valley, with shade, nearby water and an atmosphere of remarkable quietness. It is a suitable option to get to know the Batuequense landscape without facing long routes, and to understand why this corner has been associated both to the Mediterranean biodiversity and to the most ancient history of the territory.