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Palencia Cuisine:

Palencia's cuisine is pleasant and homely.  It offers many roast meats and uses a variety of ingredients gathered from the fertile lands that surround the capital, in the making of its delicious dishes.

Palencia's food is succulent and rich, designed to provide the necessary energy to bear the inclemencies of the winter.  The cuisine has numerous hot dishes like garlic soups and the classic Castilian soup, made with hogaza bread, olive oil, garlic and paprika, and later garnished with some cured ham and poached eggs.  It should not come as a surprise that bread is indeed the main ingredient of this dish, since in this province bread is something of an institution.

The traditional food from this land should always be complemented by a glass of good wine.  The best wines in Palencia are under the Designation of Origin Cigales, like the ones from the municipality of Duenas.

They also have great liqueurs, which are particularly good after a heavy meal.  These include liqueurs made with sloe, walnut, blackberry and morello cherry.

About the Area

What was once Roman Pallantia has witnessed major historic milestones.  A crossroads and an imporant centre of textile manufacturing in other ages, Palencia lived its period of greatest splendour in the Middle Ages.

During the reign of Alfonso VIII, the capital became a royal residence and in 1208 the first Spanish university was founded here.

The city is watched over by the imposing sculpture of Cristo del Otero which, standing 20 metres tall, dominates the area from one of the hills surrounding the city.

Calle Mayor, Palencia's main thoroughfare, is the backbone of the city running north to south and boasts distinguished facades and a great many shops.   To one side of this major road stands the arcaded Main Square, the site of the facades of the City Hall, from the 19th Century, and the church of San Francisco, a Franciscan building from the 13th Century.

Attractions

Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) - This is Palencia's pride and joy.  It is a long, steep and beautiful stone stairway, graced by ancient cypress trees, which ascends El Calvari (Calvary hill), directly north of the principal square.  At the top, the famous statue of Mare de Deu del Peu de la Creu (Mother of God at the Foot of the Cross) is lodged in a simple, court yarded Oratori (chapel), whose whitewashed walls sport some of the worst religious paintings imaginable.  The views out over coast and town are sumptuous.  On Good Friday, during in the Davallament (Lowering), one of the most moving religious celebrations on the island, a figure of Jesus is slowly carried by torchlight down from the Oratori to the church of Nostra Senyora dels Angels.

The Ermita de Nostra Senyora del Puig - The rambling, mostly 18th Century monastery offers further magnificent views of the environment and the city.  The monastery occupies an extraordinarily serene and beautiful spot on top of the Puig de Maria, a 320 metre high hill facing the south end of town.  The monastic complex, with its fortified walls, courtyard, chapel, refectory and cells, has had a chequered history, alternately abandoned and restored by both monks and nuns.  The Benedictines now own the structure, but the monks are gone and today a custodian supplements the order's income by renting out cells to tourists.

The Environment - Palencia is situated in the province of Castile and Leon, and stands on a high plateau, with mountain ranges to the north that shield it from the coast.  To the east, the Iberian mountains separate the region from the basin of the Ebro River.  The region is surprisingly mountainous, dotted with lakes, often covered with forest land and drained by the majestic Duero River that meanders west through the region to Portugal.  It offers numerous sightseeing wonders and is a feast to the eye.

Port De Palencia - Over at the port, things are a little more touristy, though still pleasantly low-key.  With the mountains in the background, the resort winds through the flatlands behind the Badia de Palencia.  The deeply indented bay has sheltered waters that are ideal for swimming.  The focus of attention is the beach, a narrow, elongated strip of sand that is easily long enough to accommodate the crowds, though as a general rule you will have more space if you walk further southeast, towards Alcudia.  There is a abundance of apartment buildings and hotels on the edge of town and the noisy main road to Alcudia runs close to most of the seashore.  The location is very appealing, especially in the centre behind the marina, where old narrow streets hint at the resort's origins as a small port and fishing harbour.

Placa Major - Palencia's main square accommodates a cluster of laid-back cafes and the dour facade of the church of Nostra Senyora dels Angels , a sheer cliff face of sun-bleached stone pierced by a rose window.