Villarejo de Salvanés

In the south-east end of Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid, between the rivers Tajo and Tajuña and some 50 km from the city, we find one of the towns with the most history in the area and plenty of monuments related to the Encomienda Mayor de Castilla, like the one of a kind fortress and Casa de la Tercia. Villajero de Salvanés awaits you with exquisite food and an interesting relation with film industry.

To get to know the monuments we need to understand their history. This town was founded in the 13^th century by the Military Order of Santiago and in the 15^th century it became the seat of the Encomienda Mayor de Castilla, holding on to that status until the 19^th century. This status was responsible not only for the growth in population, but it also enabled the construction of many important buildings that have been preserved until today. These important buildings are also the reason this town was declared National Historic Heritage Site in 1974. A walk around its streets transports us back to the times of the Reconquista, the military orders, the medieval times, the Battle of Lepanto...

The most famous monument, without a doubt, is known under the name of “El Castillo” (The Castle), and it is the Keep built on an old Muslim watchtower for the Order of Santiago. Its four-sided structure with eight turrets is one of the nicest keeps in the entire region and is a great photo spot. It is also a great place to start your visit as it houses the Tourist Office and the Interpretation Center that shows the town’s history. Those who manage to climb to the top will be rewarded with spectacular views.

All year long – both on the inside and out – it houses numerous exhibitions, concerts, themed guided visits, artisan fairs... The whole old town has special lighting for its most important festivity, the Living Passion of Christ on Maundy Thursday. On Halloween, the whole town gets in the mood and turns into a scary town.

Another place you have to visit is the Casa de la Tercia, a great example of Castillian civil architecture that currently houses the Ethnographic Museum showing the processes of traditional production of cereal, grapes and olives. The former Villarejo Hospital is a fine example of 18th century functional civil architecture.

The religious monuments like the Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria de Lepanto and the Parrish Church of San Andrés Apóstol also deserve a visit. And of course the Spanish Profesional and Tecnological Cinema Museum where you can see a collection of projectors and all kinds of artifacts related to all the ages of the film industry. You can also see ushers’ uniforms, slides, pianos and an exhibition of the posters of 70 Spanish films that have received most Goya awards.

Apart from the monumental heritage there are plenty of natural spaces like Encomienda de Castilla Pine forest and the Valdepuerco Pine forest, the only natural Aleppo pine forest in the Comunidad de Madrid.

Villarejo de Salvanés thas one of the biggest olive groves in the Madrid Region, so you should definitely try its high quality extra-virgin olive oil. If you want to buy some to take back home, try Aceites Pósito (C/Jacinto Benavente, 1) or Recespaña Sociedad Cooperativa (C/Fray José de San Jacinto, 10), which sells extra virgin olive oil and D.O. wines made in Madrid.

It is always a great moment to go for tapas in Villarejo. But also when you want to try its typical dishes you should definitely go for gachas (local type of porridge), rabbit with garlic, potatoes with rabbit, roasted lamb or green beans with partridge. As for desserts, you can choose from torrijas (local type of French toast), cañas (pastry filled with cream), pastafloras and the famous Tía Javiera’s rosquillas (ring-shaped crumbly pastry). Two good options to sample the typical cuisine of the area are Restaurante La Tercia or Los Fogones de Salvanés.

We must also mention the exquisite local wines. Wine lovers can take winery tours and those interested in olive oil can visit olive-mills to learn about the production first-hand. For fine wine stores, go to Vinos Jeromín (Avda. Juan Carlos I Rey de España, 4) or Sociedad Cooperativa San Andrés (Camino a Valdelaguna, s/n).

• By car: from Madrid take the A-3 highway and then take the exit 48 to M-316 in direction Villarejo/M-404/Belmonte/M-321/Villamanrique/Valdelaguna.

• By bus: lines 351, 352 and 353 leaving from Ronda de Atocha stop in Villarejo de Salvanés.

Interesting links:

• Villarejo de Salvanés Town Hall
• Villarejo de Salvanés Tourism
• Towns of Madrid