Peña de Francia

The Peña de Francia, at roughly 1,720 m, is one of the highest summits of the Sierra de Francia south of Salamanca; sources give 1,723 or 1,727 m. The summit belongs to the municipality of El Cabaco. It is famous for the Dominican sanctuary with its Black Madonna. According to tradition, a man named Simón Vila found an image of the Virgin in a grotto in 1434, and the monastery was built in the early fifteenth century. In winter the mountain is practically inaccessible because of snow; most pilgrims come in summer.

From the summit the view stretches over the Campo Charro plain to the north, the Sierra de Tamames to the east and the Gabriel y Galán reservoir to the south. The access road from the road near El Cabaco is about 12 km long, steep and winding, and gains more than 700 m in height; its suitability for large motorhomes is not documented, so enquire beforehand. Walkers can set out from La Alberca, a route of about 8.7 km with 667 m of ascent.