Pueblos Negros - The Most Iconic and Beautiful Village: Valverde de los Arroyos, Guadalajara, Spain

Black slate, which gives colour to all the buildings, is responsible for transporting visitors to the Sierra de Ayllón, in the Sierra Norte de Guadalajara Nature Reserve, to another world: to a past of small villages in perfect harmony with their surroundings, where the sturdy walls housed another life, of fire, of firewood, of bucolic walks under hundred-year-old trees, in search of canyons with impossible waterfalls or succulent mushrooms. There are more than twenty villages that make up the route of Los Pueblos de la Arquitectura Negra (The Villages of Black Architecture), proposed to be listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
It is not only the residential buildings that are made of black slate. In these villages you will find bridges, fountains and churches of a dark, almost black colour, which perfectly complement the rest of the houses. You are sure to find dozens of elements that will surprise you.
Although nowadays you could build with any other material, both the new constructions and the houses that have been restored have been built respecting the characteristic style of the area. This is to be welcomed as it has turned it into a perfect place to disconnect from the traffic jams and stress of the cities or other busier areas. But don't think that everything has been rebuilt, there are still many old or ruined houses.
It is also a perfect route for photography lovers. In the black villages you will find beautiful landscapes and peculiar corners that you will love to photograph. Once you've been there, you're sure to want to do it again, because it's a route that will get you hooked.
There are not only black villages in Guadalajara. We can find villages with similar architecture in the province of Segovia, specifically in the Sierra de Ayllón. Also in the Madrid village of Patones de Arriba • Pueblos para Visitar e... , in areas of Extremadura such as Las Hurdes, or in the Aran valley, in the heart of the Lleida Pyrenees. Always high mountain areas, relatively isolated and with a lot of slate.
But those of Guadalajara are the most famous and perhaps the most beautiful. It is here where there is perhaps the greatest concentration of these peculiar villages and that is why they are so popular. They are perfect for both day and weekend getaways, as there is a wide range of rural tourism accommodation in the area.
Valverde de los Arroyos, takes on golden tints thanks to the wooden frames that are interspersed in the slate roofs with the use of quartzite, which causes flashes of light in the prevailing darkness. Its peculiar square stands out for being the perfect place to play different traditional games next to the parish church of San Ildefonso, emblem of the black villages. In addition, a typical house in Escuelas street houses the Ethnological Museum, which pays tribute to the textile activity of the area. And before leaving the village, you should visit the hermitage of the Virgen de Gracia, a 19th century construction promoted by two missionaries who returned from the Philippines. Another must-see is the Chorrera waterfall, which flows over stone steps that descend more than 120 metres. The more adventurous can choose to climb to the peak of Ocejón, more than 2,000 metres above sea level. Quite a challenge.

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Siéntete libre de comentar lo que quieras sobre el vídeo o compartir el link donde quieras. Espero que os guste.
Feel free to comment on the video or share the link wherever you want. I hope you like it.

[@anacasanova7350]

Preciosos.

[@discoverspainvideo]

¡Me alegro mucho de que te haya gustado!

[@viajeros_perrunos]

precioso video da relajacion y tranquilidad , tomanos nota para conocerlo

[@discoverspainvideo]

¡Espero que lo disfrutéis!

[@user-rk9wy6ig2m]

☀️💖🌹

[@discoverspainvideo]

Thanks!!

[@lobato.rosario]

Muy bien ambientado el vídeo con esa alternancia entre planos generales y planos descriptivos que nos enseñan los detalles. Una gran narrativa visual 😍

[@discoverspainvideo]

Muy contento de leer que te ha gustado el vídeo ¡Gracias!

[@benitogarciadiaz2158]

Podían sacar las chorreras

[@discoverspainvideo]

Lo siento, pero no es fácil tener tiempo para poder grabarlo todo y mostrarlo en los vídeos.