2018 Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner

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  • Sacred Rural Heartlands

    Salamanca and the World of Jamón

    Jan 26-Feb 2, 2025

    ?

    A deep week of Castillian grace, from our start in the stately and vibrant city of Salamanca into the sacred rural heartlands of Spain’s greatest product: jamón. This is an insider tour of a world-famous delicacy, and all the rich countryside that created it.

    Sold Out
    Rafa Tonon

    Local Guide

    Journalist, Researcher, Explorer
    Rafa Tonon

    Alejo Sabugo

    R&K Host

    Fixer, Producer, Jamón Evangelist
    Alejo Sabugo

Overview

Salamanca and the World of Jamón

A deep week of Castillian grace, from our start in the stately and vibrant city of Salamanca into the sacred rural heartlands of Spain’s greatest product: jamón. This is an insider tour of a world-famous delicacy, and all the rich countryside that created it. And yes, there will also be rices and wines and olives and all the other fabulous products of Castilla y Léon and greater Spain.

  • Spain
  • Jan 26-Feb 2, 2025
  • from $9,873
Map
  • Spain
  • Jan 26-Feb 2, 2025
  • from $9,873
Salamanca and the World of Jamón Sold Out

DISCOVER SALAMANCA:
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Day
1

A Gilded Welcome

  • Private transfer from Madrid airport to Madrid city center, where we meet to head into the heart of Castilla y León.
  • Lunch in Segovia at Restaurante José María for lunch of cochinillo, the iconic suckling pig of the region
  • After lunch, walk around the old Roman city of Segovia
  • Transfer to Abadía los Templarios near La Alberca, perhaps the most famous village in Iberian ham production, home of the annual festival of San Anton, where a young pig is “adopted” each year and allowed to live free in the village before meeting its destiny at the next year’s festival
  • Nightcap and tapas with your hosts
Day
2

Bread and Village

  • Unhurried breakfast at our hotel in La Alberca
  • Visit the local chocolatería with Mari Luz to see how she makes the regional speciality rosquillas (something like a Spanish doughnut, but better)
  • Walking tour of La Alberca to hear its stories with our local connection Isi
  • Visit to a traditional bakery for regional bread specialities like barra rustica and hornazo
  • Lunch in a private lagar (old stone winepress room), cooked by Mari Luz
  • Siesta!
  • Light dinner at the Abadía
Day
3

Toro Bravo!

  • Breakfast at La Alberca
  • Visit ganadería el Pilar to explore toro bravo culture and the wooded pastures that make up the  dehesa habitat. This is the heart of the montanera—the season of fattening when the pigs eat acorns until the glorious finale.
  • Lunch at el Pilar of cured meats and toro bravo alike
  • Travel to Guijuelo, the capital of Jamón de bellota. Visit Patabrava, a small family-run company, one of the last producers which cures jamón in fresh air.
  • Transfer to Salamanca, one of the great cities of Europe, the ancient capital of jamón, and our historic hotel Don Gregorio in a former 15th Century Palace
  • Light dinner at Don Gregorio
Day
4

Heroic Salamanca

  • Slow breakfast at the hotel
  • Guided walk around the UNESCO Heritage city
  • A roving meal of light bites around Salamanca. Yes: it’s time for tapas
  • Free time for siesta or shopping in the old city
  • Dinner with Cesar Niño, chef and owner of El Alquimista, a student of culinary history who recently re-released a cookbook of 17th-century Castilian recipes called 1607.
Day
5

Casa de Comida

  • Leisurely breakfast the old city of Salamanca
  • Free time for shopping, strolling, and the like
  • Lunch at Fernandica, legendary casa de comida, last of a dying breed, in the village of Ledesma
  • Check-in at the gorgeous Hacienda Zorita, relax, wander the grounds, have a glass of wine or two
  • Dinner in the chapel with wine pairing at Hacienda Zorita
Day
6

Vino Vino Vino

  • Wake up, coffee and maybe a quick bite, transfer (1 hr) to our breakfast in Fornillos de Fermoselle in Zamora
  • In Fornillos, visit Teresa Cotorruelo at Mermeladería Oh Saúco for a workshop in Castillian marmalades and preserves
  • Visit Sara and Pachi at quesería La Setera
  • Meet winemaker Charlotte Allen in the village of Fermoselle, perched high over the Duero River, with over 2000 years of wine history
  • Wine tasting in one of the many underground wine cellars beneath the ancient village
  • Bodega crawl for wine and classic Castillian lunch of cabrito (goat). Because one does live on pork alone.
  • Siesta or optional spa back at Zorita, light dinner on your own for a bit of a break, a rare glimpse of moderation as we gear up for the final day.
Day
7

FEAST

  • This is the day
  • The culmination of our entire week of adventures
  • A village pig feast, the kind that only happens in this place, at this time of year
  • All-day Castillian rural bacchanal of jamón, of wine, of bread, of cheese, of bonhomie, with the mayor and the whole village of Guadramiro. It’s access to a culture that outsiders rarely see.
Day
8

  • Wake up at the hacienda, slowly, with a bit of breakfast and a bit of coffee
  • Private transfers back to Madrid, to the airport if you’ve got a flight that afternoon, or to the city center if you’re staying on
  • Adios, hasta la próxima, mis bravos

WHAT’S INCLUDED

  • All breakfasts, lunches, dinners except when itinerary explicitly says “Independent Meals”
  • Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
  • Snacks and beverages between meals
  • Additional guides and experts from the region
  • Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
  • Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
  • All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED

  • International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
  • Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
  • Personal laundry or spa services
  • Personal travel insurance

Meet Our Hosts

Rafa Tonon

Local Guide

Rafa Tonon

Journalist, Researcher, Explorer

Rafael Tonon is an award-winning journalist, writer, and researcher who lives between Brazil and Portugal and travels the world to eat and write. His work has been published widely, from Slate and Eater to The Washington Post and he is the author of books including “The Food Revolutions” (published in Portuguese and Spanish) and “50 Restaurants Over 50 Years Old – 5 Decades of São Paulo Food,” about the traditional restaurants of Latin America’s largest city.

Alejo Sabugo

Alejo Sabugo

Fixer, Producer, Jamón Evangelist

We met Asturias native Alejo Sabugo when he worked on the “Parts Unknown” Asturias episode. A producer and fixer for Bourdain, he quickly became an integral part of the Roads & Kingdoms family and is now a frequent League of Travelers host. His passion for jamón knows no bounds.

Where You’ll Stay

Abadía los Templarios

Abadía los Templarios

Rural Retreat

Immersed in 10 hectares of rolling La Aberca countryside, this Medieval-style hotel offers great facilities and views of the rural surroundings. Surrounded by ancient chestnut trees, facilities include an open-air bar and café, a spa with sauna and hamam, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, private gardens, and a library.

Gran Hotel Don Gregorio

Gran Hotel Don Gregorio

Salamanca Palace

Gran Hotel Don Gregorio is a luxury hotel set in a restored 15th-century palace in the historic center of Salamanca. A lovely porticoed patio and 17 guestrooms offer high comfort and spectacular views in stomping distance from the Plaza Mayor, Ieronimus Cathedral, and Clerecia Towers.

Hacienda Zorita

Hacienda Zorita

Historic Hacienda

This historic estate is a former Dominican monastery that sheltered Christopher Columbus as he lobbied for support for his new expedition to the Indies. Today, it’s a bucolic boutique property that’s part of a network of traditional winemaking haciendas. Produce for the restaurants is sourced from an on-site organic farm.

  • You could tell Alejo really put a lot of passion into all the research and recon he did for this trip. Which made the trip very special.

    Tom R.
    Salamanca and the World of Jamón 2024

  • As guests, we see the end result, but I appreciated all the relationships that had been developed to create unique experiences.

    Eve S.
    Salamanca and the World of Jamón 2024

  • We pierced the ‘tourist bubble’ largely through Alejo’s connections.

    James B.
    Asturias from Sky to Sea 2023

DISCOVER SALAMANCA:
PAST TRIPS GALLERY

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Salamanca and the World of Jamón Sold Out
R&K League of Travelers

Ready for a new adventure?

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    How large are your groups?

    We have a maximum of 12 travelers for each trip. Our guiding light: how many people could cram into a perfectly-sized bar in Ginza? That’s how many we want to travel with, that’s how we came up with that number. Each trip has at least two members from the R&K team.

    Do I really have to do an interview?

    Yes! We don’t offer a way to book online, because we want the chance to talk to each of you about how you like to travel, and about what we do on our trips. That includes spouses and partners! Don’t sweat it, we have an appropriately high acceptance rate, but it is a requirement, whether by Zoom or by WhatsApp.

    Is there a solo traveler supplement?

    Yes, we have an $1800 solo traveler supplement ($1o00 for four-night trips).

    Should I get travel insurance?

    Roads & Kingdoms is a fully insured travel provider but we recommend you purchase travel insurance for yourself to cover costs you might incur through change of plans, flights, etc. We do not have a recommended provider, but there are many reputable providers available online and the signup process is not onerous.

    What is included in the price?

    Our journeys are meant to free you from any financial decision-making whatsoever during the week, if you choose. You’re responsible for your own international airfare to our starting city. But then we take care of everything else, from tipping to transportation to hotels and meals and drinks along the way. You’re only responsible for personal bar tabs (when not with the group), personal laundry, or personal spa services.

    What happens if R&K cancels a journey?

    This has not happened in the post-acute-COVID period—nor do we anticipate it happening—but we do reserve the right to cancel or postpone a trip up to 100 days before departure. In that case, you would receive a full refund, including the $1500 deposit.

    CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE VEGETARIANS?

    The short answer is yes! Any trip can be adapted, but some work better than others. Salamanca and the World of Jamón, for instance, would probably not make sense for a vegetarian, whereas Tbilisi and the Western Winelands works well. Animal products do feature heavily throughout our journeys, and many include whole-animal barbecues, ceremonial slaughter, or other traditional culinary methods that might be off-putting to those who abstain.

    Traveler Rights And Responsibilities

    The League of Travelers is meant to be that: an intimate group of travelers who accompany us to some of our favorite places to spend time with some of our favorite people. That is why we interview all potential travelers. These trips are not for everyone, and we just want to be sure the vibe matches. Mostly, for you, that means treating the people who make these trips possible, from drivers to somms to waiters to hotel staff, with decency. We will do our best to accommodate special requests, but we don’t have fulltime concierge or waitstaff on these trips, we have chefs and writers and storytellers. Our groups are a diverse bunch, so please also come with an open mind and heart for your fellow travelers. And in exchange, we pledge to open all doors we can to you. We promise we will have poured our whole selves into these journeys, and we will do everything in our power to make it a wondrous experience.

    Refund And Deposit Policy

    We require 50% downpayment to secure a spot. Second payment due 60 days after first payment. If you cancel up to 60 days before the start of the trip, the trips are fully refundable except for a nonrefundable $1500 deposit. Within 60 days we will refund everything except the $1500 deposit if we are able to replace your seat, otherwise you must contact us to see if a transfer to a later journey is possible. If we cancel a trip for any reason, the entire trip, including the $1500 deposit, is fully refundable.

    Dates

    2025

    Destinations

    Europe

    Asia-Pacific

    Latin America

    Africa