Origins and characteristics of the Route
Already from the most remote antiquity there was a route that, using a natural corridor that articulated the west of the Iberian Peninsula, allowed the Tartessian people to trade with the north of the plateau in the 7th century BC. by C. It was this route that the Roman troops used to advance north.
At the time of Emperor Augustus and, above all, during the reigns of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, it was already configured as a Roman road that in its beginnings connected Emerita Augusta (Mérida) with Asturica Augusta (Astorga), and which continued along the "XXIII, Iter ab Hostio Emeritam Uxue Fluminis Anae" to Seville from the south, and to Gijón from the north through La Vía Carisa, a Roman road promoted by General Publio Carisio, whose purpose was to unite the military settlements in León with the Cantabrian Sea. The primitive road, and its natural extensions created a great communication route that linked the Cantabrian coast with the southern lands of Hispania.
Goods, troops, merchants and travelers circulated through it, in a continuous transit that favored the dissemination of Roman culture, their language and ways of life, while facilitating the control of the territory that the administration of the Roman Empire needed.
This route It continued to be used throughout the centuries, both by Arabs and Christians during the Middle Ages, to continue later playing an important role in the communications network of the Iberian Peninsula.
Roman roads
The Romans built several thousand kilometers of roads throughout the Empire that formed a complex communication network made up of various types of roads. The importance of the road, together with the geography of the places through which it passed, determined, to a certain extent, the construction system chosen in each case.
Despite this, most of the Roman roads share a series of common aspects. For its construction the ground was excavated until reaching a firm level that served as drainage and seat of the upper layers constituted by earth and stones that served to obtain a solid structure.
Finally there was a paving of large slabs that paved the road giving them their characteristic appearance, whose vestiges on many occasions have lasted to this day.
When the Roman roads passed, it was often necessary to carry out other infrastructure works to facilitate their journey through places of difficult relief.
On the slopes of the mountainous areas, lateral retaining walls or chocks were erected (from which the name of causeway derives) while in the passage of streams or rivers, small culverts to large bridges were built, some of which constituted real engineering feats for the construction of which complex falsework systems were used.
The mastery of construction techniques in Roman times is evident in the construction of great bridges that 2000 years later are great monuments, while still fulfilling their original function.
The smoothness of its relief and its mountain passes, made it easier for the Roman presence to maintain its function as a communications hub, from the Arabs who baptized it with its current name derived from the term balat, "paved road", up to the present with the presence of important road infrastructures.
Today the route has also been transformed into a rich and varied tourist itinerary that, among other uses, is still used by pilgrims on their way to Santiago and that passes through 4 regions and 7 provinces on a north-south axis of 800 km and more than 120,000 km2, it has several World Heritage cities and represents a cultural and tourist potential of the first order in the Iberian Peninsula and in the European Union.
Itinerary promotion
Turespaña, and the Network of Cooperation of Cities in the Ruta de la Plata (voluntary association established in 1997 by cities located on the so-called Ruta Vía de la Plata and in its area of influence) the four Autonomous Communities Through which the itinerary passes (Principality of Asturias, Castilla y Léon, Extremadura and Andalusia), they collaborate for joint action in the defense and promotion of the tourist, historical, cultural and economic resources present on the route.
To download the route map, click below:Route mapInterior route map
Tourist resources of the itinerary
Nature
From maritime areas to river courses passing through mountains and valleys, the more than 800 kilometers that the route occupies guarantee the ecological wealth and the variety of landscapes of this vast territory.
The itinerary starts in the Andalusian Vega del Guadalquivir and in the northern sierra of Seville, to cross the Sierra Morena and end in the meadows and the Extremaduran holm oak and scrub forests crossed by the Guadiana and Tagus rivers.
After crossing the beautiful Sierra de Béjar, the Salamanca meadows are transformed into the characteristic Castilian cereal plains, watered by the Duero and Esla rivers, in which important wetlands arise such as the Villafáfila lagoons. To the north of the province of León, with the magnificent landscape of the Cantabrian Mountains as a backdrop, the green landscape of the Asturian mountains announces the end of the journey along the Cantabrian Sea.
In this framework, the route has three Biosphere Reserves (two in Castilla y León and one in Extremadura) and two National Parks (Doñana in Seville and Monfragüe in Cáceres), as well as numerous parks and natural reserves that host a very rich and varied fauna and that allow the traveler to enjoy a unique nature and unusual beauty. To get closer to it there is an important network of rural tourism establishments.
Culture
The fact that the route has a Roman origin should not make us forget that the territory through which this itinerary passes is home to an interesting heritage from all eras.
In addition to the Roman world, the Arab legacy, the Asturian pre-Romanesque, the Romanesque, which reaches its maximum exponent in Zamora, the Gothic, the incredible Plateresque heritage of Salamanca, the Sevillian Baroque ... Not in vain the route has three cities declared Heritage of Humanity (Salamanca, Cáceres and Mérida). Contemporary architecture has become another of the protagonists of the route, and along the itinerary there are samples of the latest architectural trends.
In addition, the smallest municipalities treasure a rural heritage where traditions and popular customs are still part of daily life and to which, among other elements, the different musics that help to understand the diversity of this route are united.
Sport
The route has become the ideal setting for practicing sports. Due to the characteristics of its layout and infrastructure, it is a perfect itinerary to be traveled by bicycle, enjoying the landscape during the ten days in which the route can approximately be completed. The pilgrimage tradition, a classic already on the route, offers to live the itinerary with the leisurely pace necessary to immerse yourself in its heritage, culture and nature. And without having to complete the route, the possibilities for hiking enthusiasts are almost endless.
Reservoirs, river courses along the entire route and the sea, at one end of it, allow sports activities related to the aquatic environment to be carried out. There are many hunting and fishing preserves for those who like hunting sports, and to the 14 golf courses present along the itinerary, we must add the three ski resorts (Fuentes de Invierno and Valgrande Pajares in Asturias, and La Covatilla in Béjar, Salamanca), which complete an interesting offer for sports fans.
Gastronomy
A rich and spectacular gastronomy whose greatest wealth lies in the quality of the raw materials and in the culinary traditions that mix different influences, allowing us to offer a symphony of aromas, flavors and colors.
From the gastronomy of the north with Asturian fish and shellfish, to the Castilian roasts, passing through the Extremadura and Castilian pork meat tradition or the Mediterranean gastronomy of the south with Andalusian influence, where olive oil, vegetables and fruits and vegetables are the protagonists, the journey along the route becomes a journey through Spanish gastronomy, which despite its variety also has many elements in common throughout the four communities: vegetable stews, wines and cheeses, that there are three designations of origin on the route (Afuega'l Pitu in Asturias, Queso Zamorano in Castilla y León, and Torta del Casar in Extremadura).
Asturian fabada, roast lamb, Iberian ham and gazpacho could well be the symbols of the gastronomy of an itinerary with more than sixty products with a designation of origin, geographical indication or guarantee mark, which will also seduce the traveler through the taste.
Featured places
Walking from South to North, these are some of the most prominent places and towns:
- Seville, capital of Andalusia and monumental city.
- Merida, known for its theater and Roman bridge.
- Cáceres, wall and numerous Roman remains.
- Plasencia, wall and prominent old town.
- Cáparra, famous Roman ruins.
- Hervás, known for its Jewish quarter.
- Montemayor Baths, spas of Roman origin.
- Bejar, medieval monumental complex in a beautiful natural environment.
- Salamanca, numerous Gothic Renaissance buildings.
- Zamora
- Lion, cathedral with impressive stained glass windows
- Oviedo