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Famous for its wines, with their own Denominación de
Origen, Jumilla lies in the Altiplano of the Murcia Region,
where the coastal terrains give way to the plains of La Mancha. The
town is steeped in history and cultural heritage, and a great many
traces of its evolution are still visible today.
The Iberian village of Coimbra, in the Barranco Ancho, is one
of the most important in the region; likewise the Roman villas, the
remains of which can be visited at the town´s Jerónimo Molina museum.
The legacy of the Arab world is evident in the archaeology and
place-names. When the Reconquest recovered this region for
Christianity, it fell under the protection of the Manor of Villena,
which was when the town began to take its present shape.
Many of the buildings constructed during these centuries bear
witness to the town´s splendour: the 15th-century Castle, on top of
the hill, built over the Roman settlement, and the Arab fortress,
which still preserves the Keep, and the patio de armas, the Church
of El Salvador (a symbol of Jumilla) and lastly the Ancient Council
and Exchange: a mid-16th-century building and the only example of
civil (not military) architecture in Murcian Renaissance.
History is not Jumilla´s only resource; the surrounding
countryside is also a major attraction for nature lovers: the Sierra
de Carche, the Sierra Larga or the Sierra de Santa Ana, among others,
where visitors can admire the beautiful flora and wild fauna.
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