surroundings

Alameda de Cervera

Finca Los Batanes is located in Alameda de Cervera, a district of Alcázar de San Juan. It lies to the south west of the town, in the province of Ciudad Real. It is part of the Campo de San Juan, a district of Castile-La Mancha including 14 villages which were under the authority of the Order of St John, also known as the order of Malta.

Alameda de Cervera, on the river Guadiana, is two hours from the centre of Madrid and one and a half hours from Toledo and Ciudad Real, giving the visitor the possibility of a peaceful retreat, far from the bustle of the city. It is surrounded by the villages of Arenales de San Gregorio, Campo de Criptana, Alcázar de San Juan, Cinco Casas and Tomelloso.

The local fiestas, in honour of St Lawrence the Martyr, are held on 9, 10 and 11 August. Its main economic activities are agricultural, above all viticulture and the growing of melons.

The history of Alameda de Cervera dates back to Roman times when it was an Imperial Villa. Later, with the arrival of the Moors, a castle was built which was later seized by the Order of Santiago, which ceded it to the Order of St John, the latter turned it into a leisure area for its priors. The castle is located in what is currently the Casa Grande, also called the Castillo de Cervera, built in 1865 by the Order of St John, which also owned the convent in Alcázar de San Juan. It was purchased from the order by Alberto Urech and since then belonged to the descendants of his family.

Alcázar de San Juan

Alcázar de San Juan is a municipality in the Castile-La Mancha's region, located in the North-East of the province of Ciudad Real. It lies 150 km south of Madrid at the border with the province of Toledo.

Alcázar de San Juan ranks twelveth in Castile-La Mancha's population, distributed over three areas, the town itself and its two districts, Cinco Casas and Alameda de Cervera, which includes Finca Los Batanes.

Some studies consider that Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) was born in Alcázar de San Juan pointing to, for example, the works of Angel Ligero Móstoles, Francisco Saludador Merino, Rafael Mazuecos Pérez-Pastor, Manuel Rubio Herguido and Bruno Redondo. This Cervantine tradition is based on the baptismal certificate found in the Parish Church of Santa María for a son of Blas Cervantes Saavedra and Catalina López, named Miguel. In 1748 Blas Nasarre, the Royal Librarian and Cervantes expert, wrote in its margin, "This was the author of Don Quixote.

Alcázar de San Juan Lake Complex Natural Reserve

The Alcázar de San Juan Lake Complex consists of three lakes:

• Lake Camino de Villafranca
• Lake Las Yeguas
• Lake La Veguilla

The complex is near the town and cover over 1700 acres of protected area with a high natural value, also recognised as a wildlife reserve and a special birdlife protection area (ZEPA), La Mancha Húmeda Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO) and internationally important wetlands (RAMSAR).

These three lakes originated in the remains of ancient riverbed´s of the Quaternary period. They later became separated and divided. This river can be seen today by the cuts in the ground between the River Gigüela and the Lake Las Yeguas, where a deposit of fine rock substance with small pebbles can be seen.

Typical of these wetlands, the wildlife of the greatest interest are the water fowl, notably the White-headed Duck, in danger of extinction, which has bred here successfully since 1998. Other vulnerable species include the Gull-billed Tern, the Avocet, Common Shelduck, Black-necked Grebe, Little Bittern, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Cinnamon Teal, Common Pochard, Common Pratincole, Purple Heron, Flamingo, Common Crane, etc.

leisure

Active Tourism

Castile-La Mancha, and specifically the Province of Ciudad Real, offers guests at Finca Los Batanes a wide range of cultural and leisure activities, including active tourism, always in harmony with the rich geography and landscape of this area.

Guests can enjoy nautical activities such as canoeing, diving, rafting, sailing, etc, all in privileged surroundings such as the Ruidera Lakes.

Those looking to working off adrenaline can enjoy activities such as rock climbing, Tyrolean traverse, paint ball, paragliding, canyoning, bungee jumping, routes on buggies and quads, etc.

And of course we haven't forgotten the following activities available that all guests who enjoy nature, bird watching, caving, mountain-climbing, riding, hiking, archery, hot air balloon and ultra light flights, etc.

In other words, a wide range of active tourism that makes your stay at Finca Los Batanes an unforgettable leisure experience.

Fiestas

• Carnival (24 to 28 December)

  Carnavalcazar is celebrated in Alcázar de San Juan between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. It dates back to the 19th century when the Holy Innocents feast day became more popular than the traditional carnival. In 1991 it was declared of Regional Tourist Interest.

• San Antón (17 January)

  

  As well as blessing animals, there are traditional bonfires, pancakes and the piglet raffle. It is held in the chapel of San Antón.

• San Sebastián (20 January)

  Alcázar de San Juan awakes in the morning to the firing of a multitude of rockets and the horseback procession, followed by skipping in the Plaza del Arenal near the chapel of San Sebastián. In the evening, the neighbours gather around a large bonfire near the saint's chapel.

• La Candelaria (2 February)

  Traditional procession with offerings to the saint with traditional eating of entorrados.

• Easter

  Easter is the time for processions, of which the most important is that of Jesus of Nazareth, the object of much devotion locally. The procession starts at the Santísima Trinidad church on Good Friday morning.

• San Marcos

  The saint is celebrated on a warm Spring afternoon with a great meal featuring the traditional bun containing a hard-boiled egg.

• San Isidro (15 May)

  

  For Alcázar de San Juan, with its close links to viticulture, the feast day of the farmer's patron saint is a major celebration. Both locals and visitors take part in a procession at the chapel of San Isidro that lasts from morning to night.

• San Juan (24 June)

  The night of San Juan marks the start of Summer and Alcázar is filled with colour for the Moors and Christians celebration. For three days, the population recalls its history with a display full of colour with grandiose medieval shows and brilliant processions.

Events

• Flavours of the Land of Don Quixote Fair (April)

  

  The Flavours of the Land of Don Quixote Fair is a cultural and gastronomic event that links two of the most important values of Castile La Mancha, the culture of Don Quixote and the region's food. Taking place in the very heart of Castile-La Mancha, the fair is a showcase for the best products of the land, emphasising their authenticity and quality. Wine, cheese, honey, saffron, all the Castile-La Mancha Designations of Origin as well as the Protected Geographical Indicators are present in the fair together with the world of handicrafts.

• Puppet Festival (May)

  Puppets from around the world can be found in the must important places in Alcázar. The magic and mystery of the theatre entrances not only children but adults too.

• Triathlon (July)

  Organised by the Alcázar Triathlon Club and the Alcázar IMD with special sponsorship from the Castile-La Mancha Communities Council, the 22nd City of Alcázar Triathlon was held on 10 July 2010, which is one of the country's oldest triathlons.

• Summer Scenes (July and August)

  

  Every year the Alcázar de San Juan Council organizes Summer Scenes, a cultural event that merges elements from the town's heritage with the widest variety of music, theatre, dance, literature and art. During the evenings of July and August, this corner of Castile-La Mancha sees a large number of concerts for all publics and tastes. All these shows take place in the open air, giving a different look to some of the corners of the town. Squares, the interiors and facades of churches, passageways, parks, all become points for meetings and celebrations under the starry Summer nights.

• Quixote Music Festival (July)

  The Summer Scenes include the Don Quixote Festival, another musical event that was born from the intention to combine artists from different trends in the same cultural space.

• La Cantera World Music Festival (August)

  August in Alcázar de San Juan starts with an increasingly important and more widely-accepted event, the La Cantera World Music Festival. For several years now it brought together groups and artists from all over the world. As well as the artists, its special feature and attraction is the place in which it is held in an old quarry with spectacular acoustics, the Cerro de San Anton, at the feet of the windmills that are the eternal symbol of La Mancha. The breeze of the Summer nights, refreshments and the good atmosphere do the rest.

What to see

This being a land full of tradition and culture, there are no lack of places for our guests to visit.

• Palace complex

  Consisting of:

  
  • Grand Prior's Tower. Almohad tower belonging to the ancient citadel that gave its name to the town. Known as the Tower of Don Juan of Austria, it was built in 1231.
  • El Cubillo. Could have been part of the wall that surrounded the palace founded by the Order of St John when it came to the town.
  • Palace chapel. Located opposite the Tower, the ancient St John the Baptist chapel has over time been a prison, cemetery and museum as well as a chapel and is now the visitor's reception centre and starting point for the visit. It also contains an exhibition about the palace complex.

• Museums

  • Grand Prior's Tower museum. Museum on the Knights Hospitaller of the Order of St John.
  • Municipal museum. Showing archaeological and ethnographical exhibits from the town.
  • La Mancha Ceramics Museum (FORMMA). Links the past and tradition of La Mancha with the modern era.

• Windmills

  The windmills on the Cerro de San Antón were also unique mechanical devices and are linked historically to the region's agriculture.

  From above there is a spectacular panorama or its surroudings reaching far on clear days. A privileged place that includes various points of interest such as the old storage area and the ancient quarries.