| Palencia province | |
.jpg/250px-Ampudia_-_004_(26237432307).jpg) | |
Location .svg/250px-Palencia_in_Spain_(plus_Canarias).svg.png) | |
Coat of arms and flag   | |
| State | Spain |
|---|---|
| Region | Central Spain |
| Capital | Palencia |
| Surface | 8,052 km² |
| Inhabitants | 161.821 (2018 estimate) |
| Institutional website | |
Palencia province (Province of Palencia) is an administrative division of the region Castile and León, in Central Spain.
To know
The province of Palencia is known as The Beautiful Desconocida, an appellation that underlines a tourism still in an embryonic state, despite a very respectable potential. This potential is based on an artistic heritage that has its maximum expression in the gothic cathedral of the capital but also on Romanesque style churches and monasteries scattered in the smaller towns shown below. There are also Roman settlements in the form of villae rusticae. Among these the most important example is the archaeological site "La Olmeda".
The Camino de Santiago, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, passes through the province of Palencia. The stages consist of the three localities of Frómista, Carrión de los Condes is Villalcázar de Sirga.
The natural heritage consists of the parks and nature reserves of the Cantabrian cordillera where various excursions such as the Route de los Pantanos 55 km itinerary that touches natural and artificial lakes. In the area of the meseta there is the marsh de la Nava, ideal for the bird watching.
Geographical notes
The territory of the province occupies the northwestern part of the meseta, the central plateau of Spain. This flat area constitutes the region * Tierra de Campos "characterized by extensive cultures, especially cereals, made possible by irrigation works.
The north of the province is known as "Montaña Palentina" and consists of the southern slopes of the Cantabrian mountain range (cordillera Cantábrica) whose highest peak is represented by the massif "Peña Prieta" (2,533 m. s.l.m.). With its very rugged character and not easy to access, the "Montaña Palentina" is still an embryonic destination for rural tourism with the possibility of hiking in centuries-old woods and natural parks.
Territories and tourist destinations
Province of Palencia: full screen map.Urban centers
- Palencia - Located on the site of Pallantia from the Roman era, the provincial capital is famous above all for its magnificent Gothic cathedral.
- Aguilar de Campóo - Famous for its medieval castle, built on a rocky outcrop known as Peña Aguilón and for the 14th century collegiate church of San Miguel below.
- Ampudia - An ancient fortified village of which a mighty castle remains.
- Carrión de los Condes - Pretty village of 2,000 inhabitants on the banks of the Rio Carrión, stage of the Camino Francés of the itinerary of Santiago.
- Cervera de Pisuerga - A northern village located at more than 1,000 m. s.l.m. between magnificent mountain landscapes and centuries-old woods.
- Dueñas - A fortified village on top of a hill full of interesting monuments such as the convent de San Agustín and the church Santa María de la Asunción.
- Fromista - Village of about 700 inhabitants, famous for its Romanesque churches.
- I watch - It boasts centuries-old oak woods threatened by the nearby open-cast coal mines.
- Paredes de Nava - An agricultural village with interesting religious architecture, among which the church of Santa Eulalia stands out with a style of transition from Romanesque to Gothic.
- Saldaña - A typical Castilian village with stone buildings including the Palacio del Marqués de La Valdavia and a 16th century bridge over the Rio Carrión. In the immediate vicinity is the archaeological site of the Roman villa La Olmeda.
- Venta de Baños - A modern city with interesting churches from the Visigothic period, some built on the site of Roman temples such as that of the nearby village of Baños del Cerrato.
- Villalcázar de Sirga - A village with less than 200 inhabitants with a famous church, Iglesia de Santa María, an example of a fortress temple built at the end of the 12th century by the Knights Templar.
Other destinations
- Laguna de la Nava de Fuentes - A marshy area where colonies of aquatic and migratory birds are stationed.
- Natural park of the Carrionas springs and Cobre-Montaña Palentina spring (Parque Natural de Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina) - In the extreme north of the province, the park extends over the Cantabrian mountain range and the upper reaches of the Carrión and Pisuerga rivers (Cueva del Cobre). The tops of the mountains are bare rock masses with plumb walls while the slopes of the valleys, less steep, are often covered with woods.
Cathedral of Palencia
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How to get
How to get around
What see
What to do
At the table
Safety
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Palencia province
Commons contains images or other files on Palencia province
