Logbook · 10 places

What to see and do in Vistabella del Maestrat

What to see and do in Vistabella del Maestrat (L'Alt Maestrat, Castellón): 10 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 2 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Vistabella del Maestrat

Church of Vistabella del Maestrat 50 m
Shrine of Sant Joan de Penyagolosa 8.1 km

Towns near Vistabella del Maestrat

What to see in Benafigos 6.8 km · 6 places
What to see in Xodos 7.6 km · 16 places
What to see in Culla 11 km · 9 places
What to see in Atzeneta del Maestrat 13 km · 9 places
What to see in Vilafranca 14 km · 14 places
What to see in Benassal 15 km · 14 places
What to see in Puertomingalvo 15 km · 3 places
What to see in Mosqueruela 16 km · 6 places

Spain › Valencian Community › Castellón › L'Alt Maestrat › Vistabella del Maestrat

What to see and do in Vistabella del Maestrat

Vistabella del Maestrat
Village
Vistabella del Maestrat is a municipality in the comarca of L'Alt Maestrat, in the province of Castellón, situated at the foot of the Peñagolosa massif and with only 354 inhabitants; it is the highest municipality of the Valencian Community, with cold winters that can drop below -12 °C. Almost 80% of its extensive municipal area is covered in forest, with endemic species such as the Valencian oak or the Montpellier maple, and it contains the Pla de Vistabella, a broad karst formation whose waters disappear into the Quiño sinkhole. It received its charter of settlement in 1382 under the lordship of the Order of Montesa, and preserves traditional circular-plan farmhouses scattered across the municipality. It is a starting point for the sanctuary of Sant Joan de Penyagolosa.
Church of Vistabella del Maestrat
Monument
Church of la Asunción in Vistabella del Maestrat, in 17th-century Renaissance style, with a façade by Juan Anglés considered the most important of this style in the province of Castellón, and ceramic friezes from L'Alcora.
Penyagolosa (Vistabella side)
Nature
Slope of the Penyagolosa, an emblematic mountain of inland Castellón, in the municipality of Vistabella del Maestrat. At 1,813 metres it is the highest peak in the province of Castellón and the second highest in the Valencian Community, in the Iberian System, shared between the municipalities of Chodos, Vistabella del Maestrat and Villahermosa del Río. The massif is of limestone and marl, with a south face of about 300 metres much frequented by climbers, and holds forests of Scots pine, black pine, Valencian oak, maple, yew and holly. At its foot stands the sanctuary of Sant Joan de Penyagolosa, a pilgrimage destination, reached by the long-distance GR-33 trail from Castellón de la Plana and the PR-CV 79 from Lucena del Cid. Since 2006 the site has been protected as the Penyagolosa Natural Park.
Festivities of Vistabella del Maestrat
Activity
Vistabella del Maestrat celebrates San Juan Bautista twice: his birth on 24 June and his beheading on 29 August, the latter as the culmination of the patronal festival that begins around 21 August.
Penyagolosa Natural Park
Nature
Natural area reaching an altitude of 1,813 metres, the highest point in the Valencian-speaking lands, a landmark for hikers with the GR-7 and GR-33 routes.
Circular farmhouses of Vistabella del Maestrat
Curiosity
The municipal district of Vistabella preserves numerous traditional circular-plan farmhouses, with barrel vaults of stone and roofs of clay and straw, a remarkable example of vernacular farm architecture.
Renaissance Palace of Vistabella del Maestrat
Monument
Former palace that served as the residence of King Pedro IV of Aragon in 1338, with an adjoining medieval prison that still has the cell where prisoners were held.
Shrine of Sant Joan de Penyagolosa
Monument
The foremost mystical and spiritual centre of the province of Castellón, at the foot of the Penyagolosa and the traditional destination of pilgrimages from several villages of the Maestrat.
The land distribution of Vistabella after the conquest
Historical milestone
After the Christian conquest, Guillem d'Anglesola divided the district among the new settlers; the settlement charter was confirmed in 1382, already under the Order of Montesa, lady of the place until the disentailment.
The principi (festive starter)
Food and drink
A festive starter for weddings and pig slaughters made with egg, ground almond, pig's liver and blood; it is served at the beginning of the meal and coexists with the kid tombet and the olla amb pilotes of mountain cooking.