The best traffic-free bike rides around Manchuela

The name of this town originates from its role as a crossroads on the ancient routes that connected Complutum with Carthago Nova in Roman times, and on the Silk Road that linked Toledo with Valencia and Cartagena. It derives from the Arabic word "rutba," the tax paid for the passage of livestock. A true inheritor of so many peoples and cultures, La Roda has absorbed the best of each, evident in its beautiful town center, its magnificent Church of El Salvador, and the Palaces of the Doctor de La Encina and the Counts of Villaleal. It is currently very well connected to the provincial capital, Albacete, from which it is only 36 km away. The entire town center has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest for its historical and artistic value.

Beautiful path on the banks of the Júcar river through an impressive valley between Alcalá de Júcar and La Recueja.

The origin of the name of this town comes from its function as a crossing point for the ancient routes that linked Complutum with Carthago-Nova, in Roman times; or the silk route that linked Toledo with Valencia and Cartagena. It is derived from the Arabic “rutba”, the tax that was paid for the passage of livestock. As a good learner of so many people and cultures, La Roda has known how to collect the best of each and this is evident in its beautiful urban complex, its magnificent church of El Salvador and the Palaces of Doctor de La Encina and that of the Counts of Villaleal. Currently it is very well connected with its capital, Albacete, from which it is only 36 km away. Its entire urban complex has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest for its historical and artistic value.

Cycling along the river Júcar you reach the town of La Recueja with houses built on the steep hill of the river bend. The local sandstone provides exciting riding routes.

Work qualified as a strange Renaissance piece due to the arrangement of its façade in the form of a corner. The date of his execution, 1627, is recorded on a scroll. Originally this façade was located in the house located opposite, demolished in 1960 and rebuilt in 1995 by the "La Enzina" Workshop School, placing its ashlars, balcony and shield in front of the original location as if it were the reflection of a mirror. As a historical note, note that the Queen of Spain Doña María Ana de Austria, widow of Felipe IV, stayed in this house in 1668.

The church of El Salvador de la Roda is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles, the result of the time in which it was built throughout the 16th century and a good part of the 17th. It rises on a promontory in the center of the town, which makes it visible from all its points. The exterior has a defensive and powerful aspect with large smooth walls modulated by prismatic buttresses without a slope and small openings that serve for internal lighting.

Dating from the 18th century, it was built from an old 16th-century building by the Countess of Villaleal's grandfather, Doña Joaquina de Arce y Lara, who belonged to the Order of Calatrava. The house presents rococo decoration motifs and on its façade there is a wavy balcony with a beautiful wrought iron railing; On the very ornate hole in the wall there is a beautiful Baroque coat of arms belonging to the 18th century.

A historical monument that deals with a salvaged corner of a palace that was demolished. It is not in its original location as the palace was right in front of it. It is one of the most photographed monuments in La Roda.