Alcalá de los Gazules

The town sits on ground with Roman origins — remnants of the ancient settlement of Lascuta survive here, and the famous Bronze of Lascuta, a Roman-era document, was found in the area and is now held in the Louvre.

The town's medieval history turns on a single transaction. On 21 July 1310, King Fernando IV of Castile granted the town and its castle to Alfonso Fernández de Córdoba. The grant came with a condition: Alfonso had to keep 150 armed men in the fortress ready for whenever the king went to war against the Muslims. Several historians note that Alfonso was chosen specifically because he was considered an expert defender of the frontier.

The terms of the grant were unusually thorough. It was described as complete and hereditary, and the deed of donation even set out the order of succession for whoever would inherit the lordship after Alfonso. In practice, however, Alfonso appears to have acted more as a castle governor than as a true lord of the town. He left almost no record of activity there, made no mention of it in his will, and the historian Francisco Fernández de Béthencourt observed that the town simply passed out of his hands at an unknown point and for unknown reasons.

After Alfonso Fernández relinquished it, Alcalá de los Gazules returned to the direct ownership of the Castilian crown.

The town's monuments range from prehistoric to early modern. The castle stands above the town, and there are two Roman archaeological sites — the Laja de los Hierros and the Mesa del Esparragal — along with Roman water deposits at La Salada and a Roman bridge. Religious buildings include the parish church of San Jorge, the Convent of Santa Clara, the Church of San Francisco (also known as the Church of La Victoria), the Convent of Santo Domingo, and the Ermita-Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Santos.

The Casa del Cabildo and several manor houses also survive in the town.

The nearest airports are Jerez de la Frontera and Gibraltar, both under an hour by car. The closest train stations are in Jerez and Algeciras. Four buses a day connect the town with Seville, Jerez, Cádiz, and Algeciras.

By road, Alcalá is 3 km from the A-381 motorway between Jerez and Algeciras. The town sits inside the Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales, a large area of forest and rocky peaks covering the eastern half of Cádiz province, with many marked walking trails — details from any provincial tourist office. Within an hour's drive: the wind-swept cliffs and golden-sand beaches of the Costa de la Luz; the Parque Natural Bahía de Cádiz with its flamingos and wading birds; Gibraltar; the old city of Cádiz; Jerez de la Frontera with its sherry bodegas and thoroughbred horses; and the mountain scenery of the Sierra de Grazalema.

There are no tourist souvenir shops in Alcalá, but small food shops sell locally made sheep's and goat's milk cheeses, honey, chorizos, bread, and pastries — the cheese factory shop at the Polígono La Palmosa industrial estate, behind the petrol station, is worth a visit. Restaurants cover all price ranges and most bars serve tapas at any hour. The three-course menú del día with a drink costs under €10.

Local specialities include wild boar, venison, rabbit, partridge, hot gazpacho thickened with breadcrumbs, and — in early June — small snails in broth. Wild asparagus and prickly pears are gathered from the surrounding countryside. The Wednesday and Saturday morning markets are good for produce.

This is not a paella-and-sangría area.