Totana

Under the outcrops of Sierra Espuña the ancient Deitana Urbs is a welcoming town famous for its pottery. Of interest is the church of Santiago, built in 1553 with a plateresque façade and renaissance-style altarpiece. Just across the road is the 17th-century Juan de Uteza fountain built in black and pink jasper. Seven kilometres away on a winding road which takes the visitor through lush orchards, palm groves and pine woods dotted with old country mansions is the Ermita de la Santa, dedicated to St. Eulalia. The building style is Tuscan and is home to one of the finest Mudéjar craft centres of the region. Further inland is the Sierra Espuña Natural Park, the region's lung so to speak, with deep pine- and oak-forested valleys cutting between the rugged peaks of Sierra Espuña. Near the summit are the ruins of curious circular 16th-century constructions known as 'pozos de la nieve' or snow cellars where snow was gathered and stored before being taken on horseback for use in the nearby towns.