We will start the trip from Seville.

La Gruta de la Maravillas (the Cave of Wonders) is a network of limestone caverns located in the town of Aracena. This natural underground monument is situated in the old centre of Aracena, under the hill crowned by the medieval castle and Priory Church of la Señora del Mayor Dolor, and has been open since 1914. The guided tour of Las Maravillas Cave follows a circular route of around 1km, and takes around 45 minutes. The visit includes two of the three levels of the cavity, at temperatures of between 16-19 degrees and relative humidity of 98%. The scenery of these caves has formed over many thousands of years through a process known as “karstification” - the slow erosion of limestone, gradually dissolved by carbonic acid, producing fissures, sinkholes, underground streams, and caverns.

For many years the town has been dependent on the mines from which it derives its name. Minas de Riotinto reached its peak of prosperity and importance in the late 19th and early 20th century, when the mines were in full production and the population was 200,000. The town itself was built on rolling hills, now covered by pine and eucalyptus trees planted by the British for use in the mines. Minas de Riotinto has a golf course called Corta Atalaya Golf. named after the vast open-pit mine nearby. One of the first golf courses to be built in Spain, its purpose was to keep the British mining engineers content and occupied in their leisure time.

The origin pat of Aracena is at the top of the hill occupied by the Castle and the Priory Church. In medieval times it was a fortified town, defended by a stone wall and the fortress. Archaeological remains from the 10th-13th centuries have been found in this location, which are evidence of an Al-Andalus town related to the Qatrasana settlement documented in Islamic texts. The interior Aracena Castle contains dwellings from the Al-Andalus era and a number of buildings from the medieval fortress. The entry to the Castle enclosure is via the secondary gate to the Alcázar. This area, which is located at the highest and most easterly part of the hill, is that which makes up the fortified enclosure of Aracena next to the bailey.

After this beautiful trip, we will head back to Seville