MAIN ATTRACTIONS
This town in the province of Ciudad Real is not only set apart for its Guadiana River and its Natural Park of the Lagoons of Ruidera, but also because this town is the famous place that Cervantes didn’t want to remember in his quintessential book, Don Quijote de La Mancha. The visitor should remember it since in this beautiful town you can find many interesting places to visit. We can begin with the Casa Cueva Medrano, currently the Municipal Library and Tourism Office, among having other uses. It is also recommended to visit the Casa del Bachiller Carrasco, and for art lovers the church of Saint John the Baptist, which began construction back in the 16th century.
WHAT WE’LL SEE
In the Casa Cueva Medrano we can visit the room that served as a prison to Miguel de Cervantes and within whose walls the masterpiece got its start. If we move on to the Casa del Bachiller we can see a typical Castilian-Manchegan house, located at number 1 of the street Académicos, in which, according to tradition, lived Bachiller Sansón Carrasco, a friend of Quijote’s family who appears in various passages of the book. And since not everything can be quijotesco, we can take a breath among the naves of the church of Saint John, all constructed at the same height and corresponding to its hall church floor plan, which confers upon the temple an even greater sensation of monumentality. In the chapel of the Virgin of Charity we can see the piece of most patrimonial value in the church, the votive-offering painting by Rodrigo Pacheco from 1601. The inscription that appears on it reinforces the theory that Cervantes was inspired by this figure to create his most celebrated character.
ACCESS
The church is freely accessible, respecting the hours of worship. For the rest, inquire in the Tourism Office of the City Hall.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
Enjoy the natural open spaces in the Natural Park of the Lagoons of Ruidera.
