Caspe - region of Aragon in Spain!
Caspe, in the autonomous region of Aragon in Spain is a vibrant, thriving city with 8000 habitants, it is the capital of the surrounding area, and is well communicated with a good road infrastructure, industry, culture and only approximately one and a half hours to either Reus or Zaragoza airports. Caspe is only 140 meters above sea level therefore has it’s own micro climate, and isn’t as cold in the Winter as some other villages in the area.
The city sits between the rivers Guadalope and the famous Ebro, where the fishing is amongst some of the best in the world. There is a huge man made lake which is locally known as the "Sea of Aragon", and so you can get an idea of the size of this lake, if you were to walk around it and finish where you started, you will have walked some 500 kms. During the Summer months it provides endless water sports, swimming and fishing facilities. This enormous man made lake, which is fed by the rivers, also provides thousands of hectares of irrigation systems for all the soft fruit and vegetables which are grown in the area.
Caspe can be traced back through history to the second century AD, and there is evidence in the architecture from the Romans, Arabs, Morrocans and Ibers, who all left their mark on this area. Caspe has also witnessed many wars including the one against Catalunya, and the most recent one being the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930’s. There are some amazing things to visit including cave paintings, Romanesque art at the Hermitage of Santa Maria de Horta, the Tower of Salamanca, a military fort used during the Carlist wars, many buildings date back as far as the XVIII century.
Fiesta´s
We all know Spain is famous for it’s fiesta’s, well Caspe is no exception.
The first weekend of October is the world famous Black Bass fishing competition which started in 1960, and now attracts fishermen from all over the world.
Easter is a huge celebration here and Caspe is on the Route of drums & trumpets, where literally thousands of people march through the streets for miles, the noise of the drums is deafening.
Good Friday is the procession of Veracruz, where local legend believes that there is a piece of Christ’s cross from the crucifixion in Caspe . There are also parades and processions on Easter Monday.
August welcomes the Fiesta Mayor, or main fiestas, this is almost a week of dancing, singing, organised events for all ages, generally a time to spend with family and friends.
In November the town celebrates the Local Fair Exhibition. This is a harvest festival on a scale like you have never seen in your life. All local products, fruit, vegetables, oil, wine, the list is endless......and of course there are many smaller fiestas in between.
Talking of food, the gastronomical delights of the area are in abundance. The local peaches and Extra Virgin olive oil have the DOM (denominacion of origin) and because of the 1000,000 fish in the Sea of Aragon, the lambs and pigs that graze on the hills surrounding the lake, the local dishes are tasty and varied. You must try the snails with pumpkin or potato, or the Spanish style tortilla with tomato, onion and pepper, the lamb ribs and pork stew, all the local sausages and sliced meats, blood sausages or puddings and sun dried tomatoes fried in olive oil, delicious! Desserts usually contain some of the locally grown fruits, peaches, cherries and figs. A traditional cake is made from almonds, pine nuts and apple, and of course the lovely moist Magdalenas, a type of fairy cake. The famous Calanda peaches are similar in size to a grapefruit, and are a pale yellow in colour, they are so sweet and juicy, it’s not surprising that I have never seen them in supermarkets in the UK, I think they keep them all here in Spain...............I dont blame them.
If you are planning to visit us and look at some properties, try and keep a day spare to look around the area, especially Caspe and Maella.