Logbook · 7 places

What to see and do in Motilleja

What to see and do in Motilleja (La Manchuela, Albacete): 7 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Motilleja

Cuasiermas natural area 2.9 km

Towns near Motilleja

What to see in Madrigueras 6.3 km · 10 places
What to see in Mahora 6.8 km · 8 places
What to see in Valdeganga 13 km · 6 places
What to see in Navas de Jorquera 13 km · 5 places
What to see in Tarazona de la Mancha 14 km · 20 places
What to see in Golosalvo 15 km · 6 places
What to see in Villagarcía del Llano 17 km · 5 places
What to see in Cenizate 18 km · 6 places

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Albacete › La Manchuela › Motilleja

What to see and do in Motilleja

Motilleja
Village
Motilleja is a municipality in the comarca of La Manchuela, in Albacete, with 673 inhabitants, with a compact layout and long, straight streets, between the Valdemembra and Júcar rivers, the latter marking here the boundary with the municipality of Albacete. Its Baroque church, dedicated to Santa Ana, the town's patron saint, was completed in 1787; at its foot lies the Plaza Mayor, with an old sundial. Near the Júcar extends the area of Cuasiermas, a natural space of regional interest. It maintains bobbin lace as a local craft, and one of the few groups that preserve the transmission of traditional music, singing and dance, La Ronda de Motilleja, which takes part in the patronal festivals of Santa Ana, in late July.
Church of Santa Ana de Motilleja
Monument
The church of Santa Ana de Motilleja is a Baroque church finished in 1787 and dedicated to the town's patron saint. It stands at the entrance to the village's Plaza Mayor, where its tall tower rises above the Motilleja plain and is visible from the whole of the surrounding lowland.
Sundial of the Plaza Mayor of Motilleja
Monument
An old sundial preserved in the main square, in a town of enclosed layout with long, straight streets of markedly Manchegan character.
Cuasiermas natural area
Nature
Cuasiermas is a site on the bank of the Júcar River, shared among the municipal districts of Albacete, Madrigueras, Motilleja and Tarazona de la Mancha, reached via the AB-823 road. Its name comes from the barren caves that dot the area, and it preserves archaeological remains of an old dam and mills built with ashlar stone. During the Civil War, the International Brigades set up a medical centre in a small mansion located on the site. The riverside vegetation, with trees and shrubs typical of the area, and the proximity of the Júcar, less than two kilometres from the town centre of Motilleja, make this one of the places of greatest natural interest in the municipality.
The Ronda of Motilleja
Activity
A traditional group that keeps the village's music, singing and dancing alive; it leads the floral offering on 25 July and the Christmas carol rounds.
The bobbin lace of Motilleja
Curiosity
The municipality's main craft is bobbin lace, made with great care by many local women and handed down from generation to generation.
La mona de Jueves Lardero
Food and drink
On the Thursday that opens Carnival the residents go out into the countryside to eat the mona, a sweet bread with a boiled egg set into it which in the lands of Albacete gives the day its name and which is accompanied by longaniza and chorizo from the pig slaughter.