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October 29 Free guided tour of Jumilla castle

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The tour takes place on the last day of the Matavendimia wine fair in Jumilla

October 29 Free guided tour of Jumilla castle This opportunity to see all of the storeys of the impressive castle which stands above the town of Jumilla in the north of Murcia coincides with the end of the 3-day Matavendimia wine fair marking the end of the grape-picking season, and enables visitors to explore from the dungeons to the terrace on top of the keep as well as to learn about the important role the fortification has played in the history of the town.

Jumilla castle has undergone extensive renovation in recent years but is in many ways everything one might expect of a medieval fortress: it stands in a position of dominance high on a hilltop above the town, it commands panoramic views over the surrounding area, it has an imposing keep four floors high with crenelated battlements and it generally gives the impression of being close to impregnable.

These attributes were those foremost in the mind of Juan Pacheco, the first Marquis of Villena, when he ordered the castle to be built in 1461 to defend the town and the surrounding countryside, of which he had been put in charge 16 years previously. However, at least in choosing the location, the Marquis had his task made easier by the fact that previous fortresses had stood in the same spot for many centuries.

The tour on October 29, which is in Spanish, begins at 11.00 at the main entrance to the castle. Bookings can be made through Jumilla tourist office (Plaza del Rollo, 1, telephone 968 780237 or 663 300779, email oficinaturismo@jumilla.org).

For more local events, news and visiting information go to the home page of Jumilla Today.

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Address

Plaza del Rollo, 1 30520 JUMILLA

Tel: 968 780237 / 663 300779

Oficina de Turismo Jumilla

The tourist office in the centre of Jumilla is easily found by driving straight into the centre of the town along the Avenida de Murcia and following the signposts. The tourist office is alongside the Parque de Don Albano Martínez Molina, where there are a number of parking spaces.

Jumilla, in the north of the Region of Murcia, has become internationally famous over recent decades due to the quality of the wines produced in the municipality, and wine tourism has begun to attract visitors from other parts of Spain and the rest of Europe.

The tourist office is happy to provide a range of maps and leaflets showing the different bodegas which can be visited within the municipality. Some of these form part of the Rutas del Vino de Jumilla, the Jumilla wine route, and can either be visited as a guided tour or sell their produce directly to the public.(see feed below for more details)

However, the town and the surrounding countryside have plenty of other attractions for visitors, and the popularity of Jumilla wines is leading more and more people to discover other facets of the tenth largest municipality in Spain.

Jumilla Tourist Office

These include the spectacular countryside and birdlife in the Sierra del Carche, the historic remains which range from cave paintings and a Roman mausoleum to the castle, the Iglesia de Santiago, the Town Hall and the Teatro Vico, and the gastronomy: rich stews are accompanied not only by the wines of the area but also by Jumilla pears, which also enjoy Denomination of Origin status.

Tourism in Jumilla is not as seasonal as it is in the coastal areas of the Region of Murcia, but the town is at its liveliest during the fiestas in Holy Week and the August Fair, which incorporates the grape harvest celebrations and the Moors and Christians parades.

The Altiplano of the Region of Murcia, which consists of the municipalities of Jumilla and Yecla, is only just over an hour by car from the Mar Menor, Cartagena, Mazarrón, Torrevieja and Alicante, and anyone wishing to visit real inland Spain and world-class wineries is advised to include Jumilla in their schedule.