Top Reasons to Go to Extremadura

Visit stuck-in-a-time-warp Cáceres: The walled old city is wonderfully evocative, particularly at dusk when the skyline takes on an otherworldly air with its ancient spires, towers, and cupolas.

In the pink: Impress the folks back home with photographs of the beautiful cherry blossoms in upper Extremadura's spectacular Jerte Valley.

A medieval blockbuster: Enjoy a coffee or cerveza in Trujillo's Plaza Mayor while admiring a jumble of ancient buildings with nary a modern apartment block in sight.

Heady views: Splurge on a night at the parador in Guadalupe; the panoramic landscapes will leave you dazzled for weeks.

Get to know La Dehesa: Southwest Iberia's unique oak park ecosystem, home of the acorn-fed black Iberian pig that provides jamón ibérico de bellota, Spain's most prized food product.