Salamanca and the World of Jamón
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Day
1
A Gilded Welcome
- Private transfer from Madrid airport to Madrid city center, where we meet to head into the heart of Castilla y León.
- Lunch in Segovia at Restaurante José María for lunch of cochinillo, the iconic suckling pig of the region
- After lunch, walk around the old Roman city of Segovia
- Transfer to Abadía los Templarios near La Alberca, perhaps the most famous village in Iberian ham production, home of the annual festival of San Anton, where a young pig is “adopted” each year and allowed to live free in the village before meeting its destiny at the next year’s festival
- Nightcap and tapas with your hosts
Day
2
Bread and Village
- Unhurried breakfast at our hotel in La Alberca
- Visit the local chocolatería with Mari Luz to see how she makes the regional speciality rosquillas (something like a Spanish doughnut, but better)
- Walking tour of La Alberca to hear its stories with our local connection Isi
- Visit to a traditional bakery for regional bread specialities like barra rustica and hornazo
- Lunch in a private lagar (old stone winepress room), cooked by Mari Luz
- Siesta!
- Light dinner at the Abadía
Day
3
Toro Bravo!
- Breakfast at La Alberca
- Visit ganadería el Pilar to explore toro bravo culture and the wooded pastures that make up the dehesa habitat. This is the heart of the montanera—the season of fattening when the pigs eat acorns until the glorious finale.
- Lunch at el Pilar of cured meats and toro bravo alike
- Travel to Guijuelo, the capital of Jamón de bellota. Visit Patabrava, a small family-run company, one of the last producers which cures jamón in fresh air.
- Transfer to Salamanca, one of the great cities of Europe, the ancient capital of jamón, and our historic hotel Don Gregorio in a former 15th Century Palace
- Light dinner at Don Gregorio
Day
4
Heroic Salamanca
- Slow breakfast at the hotel
- Guided walk around the UNESCO Heritage city
- A roving meal of light bites around Salamanca. Yes: it’s time for tapas
- Free time for siesta or shopping in the old city
- Dinner with Cesar Niño, chef and owner of El Alquimista, a student of culinary history who recently re-released a cookbook of 17th-century Castilian recipes called 1607.
Day
5
Casa de Comida
- Leisurely breakfast the old city of Salamanca
- Free time for shopping, strolling, and the like
- Lunch at Fernandica, legendary casa de comida, last of a dying breed, in the village of Ledesma
- Check-in at the gorgeous Hacienda Zorita, relax, wander the grounds, have a glass of wine or two
- Dinner in the chapel with wine pairing at Hacienda Zorita
Day
6
Vino Vino Vino
- Wake up, coffee and maybe a quick bite, transfer (1 hr) to our breakfast in Fornillos de Fermoselle in Zamora
- In Fornillos, visit Teresa Cotorruelo at Mermeladería Oh Saúco for a workshop in Castillian marmalades and preserves
- Visit Sara and Pachi at quesería La Setera
- Meet winemaker Charlotte Allen in the village of Fermoselle, perched high over the Duero River, with over 2000 years of wine history
- Wine tasting in one of the many underground wine cellars beneath the ancient village
- Bodega crawl for wine and classic Castillian lunch of cabrito (goat). Because one does live on pork alone.
- Siesta or optional spa back at Zorita, light dinner on your own for a bit of a break, a rare glimpse of moderation as we gear up for the final day.
Day
7
FEAST
- This is the day
- The culmination of our entire week of adventures
- A village pig feast, the kind that only happens in this place, at this time of year
- All-day Castillian rural bacchanal of jamón, of wine, of bread, of cheese, of bonhomie, with the mayor and the whole village of Guadramiro. It’s access to a culture that outsiders rarely see.
Day
8
- Wake up at the hacienda, slowly, with a bit of breakfast and a bit of coffee
- Private transfers back to Madrid, to the airport if you’ve got a flight that afternoon, or to the city center if you’re staying on
- Adios, hasta la próxima, mis bravos
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- All breakfasts, lunches, dinners except when itinerary explicitly says “Independent Meals”
- Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
- Snacks and beverages between meals
- Additional guides and experts from the region
- Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
- Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
- All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
- International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
- Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
- Personal laundry or spa services
- Personal travel insurance
Rafael Tonon is an award-winning journalist, writer, and researcher who lives between Brazil and Portugal and travels the world to eat and write. His work has been published widely, from Slate and Eater to The Washington Post and he is the author of books including “The Food Revolutions” (published in Portuguese and Spanish) and “50 Restaurants Over 50 Years Old – 5 Decades of São Paulo Food,” about the traditional restaurants of Latin America’s largest city.
We met Asturias native Alejo Sabugo when he worked on the “Parts Unknown” Asturias episode. A producer and fixer for Bourdain, he quickly became an integral part of the Roads & Kingdoms family and is now a frequent League of Travelers host. His passion for jamón knows no bounds.
Immersed in 10 hectares of rolling La Aberca countryside, this Medieval-style hotel offers great facilities and views of the rural surroundings. Surrounded by ancient chestnut trees, facilities include an open-air bar and café, a spa with sauna and hamam, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, private gardens, and a library.
Gran Hotel Don Gregorio is a luxury hotel set in a restored 15th-century palace in the historic center of Salamanca. A lovely porticoed patio and 17 guestrooms offer high comfort and spectacular views in stomping distance from the Plaza Mayor, Ieronimus Cathedral, and Clerecia Towers.
This historic estate is a former Dominican monastery that sheltered Christopher Columbus as he lobbied for support for his new expedition to the Indies. Today, it’s a bucolic boutique property that’s part of a network of traditional winemaking haciendas. Produce for the restaurants is sourced from an on-site organic farm.
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You could tell Alejo really put a lot of passion into all the research and recon he did for this trip. Which made the trip very special.
Tom R.
Salamanca and the World of Jamón 2024 -
As guests, we see the end result, but I appreciated all the relationships that had been developed to create unique experiences.
Eve S.
Salamanca and the World of Jamón 2024 -
We pierced the ‘tourist bubble’ largely through Alejo’s connections.
James B.
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Salamanca and the World of Jamón
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