La Rioja Baja

La Rioja's eastern area is more Mediterranean than Atlantic or Castilian in climate and vegetation, bordering the plains of Navarra, Soria, and Aragón. Its main river, the Cidacos, joins the Ebro at Calahorra (population 20,000), the region's largest city.

Lower Rioja has a number of key sights, including Alfaro 's medieval houses and the church of San Miguel; Arnedo 's Monasterio de Vico; Cornago 's castle, with its four towers (three conical, one rectangular); Igea 's Palacio del Marqués de Casa Torre; and Enciso 's Parque Jurásico (Jurassic Park), with dinosaur tracks 150 million years old. Ten kilometers (6 mi) from Calahorra, there are castle ruins at Quel, while Autol is the site of rock formations known as El Picuezo y La Picueza (roughly, Mr. and Mrs. Rockpile) for their resemblance to man and wife.