Cabezuela del Valle, the Jewish Quarter and the Cherry Museum

Cabezuela del Valle is halfway up the valley, at 515 m, and is its largest village. From the N-110 you see a row of new houses, but the old town, a historic-artistic ensemble since 1998, lies behind: narrow streets that go up and down, shaded alleys and half-timbered houses with wooden balconies. It is explored in an hour and a half unhurriedly, and longer if you go into the Cherry Museum.

La Aldea, the hill where the village began

The village was born on top of a small hill, the district still called La Aldea, and gradually came down the slope until it stopped at the bank of the Jerte. That is why its plan is triangular and not elongated like those of the other villages in the valley. The Jewish community lived in those streets: the documents cited by the tourist office say that in the late 15th century the Catholic Monarchs allowed it to enlarge the Jewish quarter, and that within a year it had to leave the newly bought houses because of the expulsion decree of 1492. Look for names such as the calleja de la Cárcel or the Portal Viejo; they are the ones that best keep the medieval layout.

San Miguel, on the former synagogue

The church of San Miguel Arcángel was built on the site of the synagogue, which the Crown handed over to the council in 1494. It has a single nave with four bays and five buttresses outside, and its bell tower is older than the rest of the church. Inside, the Baroque high altarpiece, all gilded, was carved by the Castilian Juan de Arenas between 1681 and 1683.

The main street runs parallel to the river in three stretches: Calle del Puente, the Plaza and Calle del Hondón. On it are the ashlar façades with coats of arms, the former town hall with the bust of the philanthropist José María Muñoz in a niche and a bell gable with a clock, and, at the end, the wayside cross. The chapels are Baroque, from the 18th century; the best loved in the village is that of the Virgen de Peñas Albas, the patron saint.

Three floors of cherry on Calle Hondón

The Cherry Museum is at number 58 Calle Hondón, in a traditional valley house. Over three floors it shows how cherries are grown on terraces, the valley's varieties with the picota at the head, the health of the tree and the garabato, the basket each picker makes to his own measure. On the third floor is the School Museum, a classroom from more than fifty years ago with its desks and materials.

It opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and is closed on Sunday and Monday; admission costs €1. It is closed from 8 to 12 October. Telephone: 636 731 862; email: [email protected].

Friday arcades and the Night of the Judas

On Fridays there is a street market under the arcades on one side of the square. On 25 March is the feast of the Virgen de Peñas Albas, and at midnight on Holy Saturday the Judas is burned, a straw figure with gunpowder and firecrackers that is paraded through the village and burns on the bank of the Jerte. In summer, by the river there are several natural pools: La Pesquerona, La Picaza, El Vao and El Simón.

The car, below next to Peñas Albas

The old town is not made for cars: leave yours below and walk up. The valley tourist office is at the entrance, in the Peñas Albas area, and about 300 m from the village there is an area for four motorhomes, between the office and the Water Interpretation Centre. For a meal in the centre, Judería Valle del Jerte is right next to San Miguel. The walk is one of the stops of the spring getaway from Madrid.