Ribera Del Fresno – Monastery, Wine Tradition and Hiking Trails

Ribera del Fresno is one of the nearly 20 municipalities in the province of Badajoz that are part of the “Ribera del Guadiana” Wine Route. It also offers religious buildings, evidence of early settlement history, waterscapes and trails with distinctly different lengths and profiles.

Other Places

Other places include La Roca De La Sierra, Palomas, Almendralejo, Zafra, Benquerencia De La Serena, Puebla De Alcocer, Malpartida de la Serena and Cordobilla de Lácara.

Culture and History

The Convent of the Poor Clares of Jesús y María was founded in 1535 by Juan Núñez Ortiz. The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Gracia dates back to the 13th century and preserves a Baroque altarpiece from the late 17th century by Alonso Rodríguez Lucas. It is also part of the urban ZEPA protected area for lesser kestrels.

The Ermita del Cristo Viejo was built in the 16th century over an older chapel and was the original parish church of Ribera del Fresno. Its ruins preserve the dome over the chancel as well as a tower with a distinctive onion-shaped cupola. The Ermita del Cristo de la Misericordia is an 18th-century chapel with architecturally remarkable design. The Ermita de la Aurora contains a Baroque high altarpiece, the choir stalls of the Santiago Order’s Thirteen and reused stones from former Visigothic columns.

At C/ San Juan Macías 2, a building now houses the Casa de la Cultura, the Public Library, the “Cerro de Hornachuelos” Interpretation Centre, the municipal music school and the Centro Etnográfico dedicated to oil mills. On the ground floor, the Chapel of San Juan Macías has a chapel with stained-glass windows depicting scenes from the saint’s life; the upper floor contains a museum about his life and canonisation process. The sanctuary on the “Valle Garzon” estate was built in 1967 at the place where, according to tradition, San Juan Macías performed his first miracle.

The Casa de Vargas-Zúñiga at C/ San Juan Macías 2 is a palace built in the 17th century in the Portuguese Manueline style. The Casa Natal de Meléndez-Valdés at Calle Meléndez Valdés 19 is the birthplace of the poet Juan Meléndez Valdés. A public park also contains a large bronze monument to Juan Meléndez Valdés, created in 1985 by the sculptor Luis Martínez Giraldo. On the edge of the town stands the Pilar del Caño, an ethnographically significant pillar.

Nature and Water

La Pesquera is a waterfall on the Valdemedel River. Historically, the water of the Arroyo Valdemedel enabled the development of gardens, supplied springs and fountains, and powered grain mills such as La Pesquera and the Molino del Niño. Los Pilones or La Pontezuela preserves the remains of an old mill as well as a weir that powered the waterwheels used to irrigate the neighbouring gardens.

The ZEPA Route runs for 7.71 km from Ribera del Fresno to the Cerro Hornachuelos archaeological site; the walking time is estimated at 2 hours and 30 minutes. It offers birdwatching in open agro-pastoral habitats, including hunting and feeding areas of the red-footed falcon, as well as possible sightings of vultures, owls, grey herons, foxes, broom plants, hares and partridges.

Trails and Landscape

The Ruta de la Médica is an 8.6 km cycling route starting from Ribera del Fresno and following prepared paths without significant climbs. The Ruta del Matachel is an 8.7 km route dedicated to the Río Matachel, with elevation changes and a physically demanding course. The Ruta de la Cañada Real begins at the Ermita de San Isidro and leads via Cerro Hornachuelos to the Cañada Real Leonesa; it is 19.6 km long and reaches a maximum elevation of 468 m above sea level.

The Ruta al Cerro de Hornachuelos includes a recreational area, a signposted visit to a pre-Roman settlement, and views of around five or six villages and the Embalse de Los Molinos. The Ruta al Pozo de San Juan Macías leads from Plaza de España along a paved track to a monument to San Juan Macías approximately 4 km away, then returns via the Vereda de la Tía Juana, where an old stone shepherd’s shelter can be visited. The differing route lengths, trail types, elevation profiles and walking times allow the routes to be clearly compared.

The Hornachuelos oppidum was inhabited at the end of the Copper Age, or Chalcolithic period (2000–1800 BC), and was laid out as a fortified settlement with one or two rings of walls and semicircular bastions.

Festivals, Wine and Regional Traditions

The Muestra Popular de Vinos de Pitarra y Matanza Tradicional takes place in February, providing information about the traditional production of homemade Pitarra wines and including tastings. In August, the Jornadas Gastronómicas give visitors the opportunity to taste traditional dishes prepared on site.

The Jornadas Artesanales take place every year in August and showcase traditional crafts such as pottery, ceramics, leatherwork, embroidery and lace-making. In the second week of November, FEAVIR presents various types of domestic animals commonly found in the local area.

Annual Events

The theatre festival takes place every summer on the grounds of the former open-air cinema. The annual festival brings together actors, theatre groups and productions from Extremadura. Ribera del Fresno also hosts an annual Romería at the Pocito de San Juan.

For the main travel overview: Badajoz.