Cervera del Río Alhama, municipality of Spain
Cervera del Río Alhama is a small town in La Rioja, northern Spain, built on a hillside above the Alhama river. It is made up of two historic neighborhoods with stone houses, wooden balconies, and a castle ruin that sits on the rocky ridge above the rooftops.
The town was laid out during the period of Arab rule, which is still visible in the pattern of its narrow streets. After the Christian reconquest, two parish churches were built: San Gil in the 12th century and Santa Ana in the 16th century.
The two old neighborhoods of Santa Ana and San Gil have narrow streets and small chapels that give the town its everyday rhythm. At Easter, part of the celebration moves to the nearby Roman site of Contrebia Leucade, where the community gathers outside the town.
The old center is easy to walk around, as the main stone buildings and the castle ruin are all close together on the hillside. To visit the surrounding valleys and the Roman site of Contrebia Leucade, a car is the most practical option since the roads outside town are rural.
Dinosaur footprints have been found in the area, showing that large animals passed through this part of La Rioja long before any human settlement. Contrebia Leucade, just outside town, is one of the best preserved Roman town layouts in northern Spain.
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