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.
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 Nathan Thornburgh and Alejo Sabugo
Day
2
Bread and Village
Abadía los Templarios
Carretera Salamanca, km. 76, 37624 La Alberca
+34923423107
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!
Gran Hotel Don Gregorio
C. San Pablo, 80, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
+34923217015
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.
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
Hacienda Zorita
37115 Valverdón, Salamanca, Spain
+34923129400
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
Hacienda Zorita
37115 Valverdón, Salamanca, Spain
+34923129400
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
Hacienda Zorita
37115 Valverdón, Salamanca, Spain
+34923129400
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
Hacienda Zorita
37115 Valverdón, Salamanca, Spain
+34923129400
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
