Albarracín is a small walled town of rose-coloured stone, steep and narrow, built on a rocky bend of the Guadalaviar river in the Sierra de Albarracín, in the south of Teruel province. The Abrigo de la Fuente del Cabrerizo is a rock shelter about three kilometres away in the surrounding pine woods, in country of strangely red sandstone outcrops that locals call rodeno.
The sandstone is the reason for the rock art. In the shelters and overhangs of the Sierra, prehistoric people painted small red figures of hunters, goats and bulls, part of the Levantine tradition that UNESCO protects, and the region has one of the best concentrations in Spain. Many of the paintings are in the Pinares de Rodeno protected landscape, where marked paths lead between the rocks, and the walk through the pine woods is pleasant in itself. The shelters themselves may be fenced, and the paintings fade easily in the weather, so keep your distance.
Albarracín was once the capital of a small Muslim kingdom, a taifa ruled by the Banu Razin family in the eleventh century, and it later became an independent Christian lordship before it joined Aragon. The town's walls climb the ridge above, and the houses with their timber balconies lean over narrow lanes that were never meant for anything wider than a donkey. It is lovely in the early morning and very crowded at weekends in summer, and a motorcycle in the old lanes draws more attention than it deserves, so park outside and walk. The mountains around are the source of several great rivers: the Tagus, the Turia and the Júcar all rise within a short distance.
The road from Teruel, the A-1512, is a pleasant ride through pine forest with moderate curves and a decent surface, and the plateau beyond is high and open, around twelve hundred metres, so winters are cold and snow can fall from November through March. The local specialities are the cured ham of Teruel, protected by its designation, and roast lamb, and the town's bakeries sell sweets made with almonds. Spring and September are the best times, and summer afternoons can bring thunderstorms.