One of the most beautiful villages in Spain is also one of the country's least visited tourist destinations.
Cantavieja is a town full of history and monuments that are well worth visiting, yet few do. The ruins of its old castle preside over the town of 700 which sits on the east coast of the country.
It was destroyed during the first Carlist War in the 1830s when Cantavieja became the command centre of general Ramón Cabrera. Happily neither that conflict or the ones that followed damaged the town too much, leaving much of the gothic buildings intact.
So lovely and well preserved are buildings such as the church of San Miguel, the old Baroque hospital of San Roque and manor house Casa Bayle that Cantavieja has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.
Later, in 2014, it was declared one of the 'Most Beautiful Villages in Spain'. Last year it was judged to be one of the Best Tourism Villages in the World by the United Nations.
For explorers, its narrow and cobbled streets, medieval looking houses and steep terrain makes for a perfect hike, walk or view point. People can visit the Mirador de la Tarayuela, La Fuente de la Faldrija or the banks of the Cantavieja River. In these places you might be lucky enough to spy cows and goats going about their business.
Ibex, roe deer, wild boar, foxes, mustelids, marten, otter, griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and golden eagles are among the other critters that can be spied.
"Cantavieja is monuments, history and nature. Simply taking a walk for any of the surrounding paths will lead to surprising places like Cantavieja’s Balcony, the fountain ‘La Faldrija’ or River Cantavieja banks," Turismo Aragon write of being in the town.
"Walking under the gaze of griffon vultures, frequently watched from the heights by the mountain goat, and even being able to follow the track of some badger is just a simple of what we can bump into on foot or by bike."
Spanish tourism sites say it's rugged but beautiful appearance is popular among hikers, but its mostly residential population does not suffer from influxes of holidaymakers.
The village is so overlooked by tourists that reviews are scant, with some of the latest recommendations dating back to 2017. One person wrote on TripAdvisor: "The entire urban area has great historical and artistic interest, with buildings and monuments ranging from Romanesque and Gothic to Baroque.
"The arcaded square stands out, where the buildings of the Renaissance church and the Gothic Town Hall stand. Although in the church building there are Romanesque remains of transition and Gothic, the current factory corresponds to the seventeenth century. Its physiognomy of medieval layout invites to wander through corners and peek into its viewpoints."
The easiest way to get to there from the UK is to fly from Stansted to Castellón, then drive for an hour and a half into the mountains.