Teruel is one of the coldest and least visited provincial capitals in Spain, and a campaign slogan, Teruel Existe, was coined to remind the rest of the country that it is still there. It stands at around nine hundred metres on a flat-topped hill above the Turia river, in the Aragonese uplands, and its old town holds a group of brick-and-tile towers that UNESCO lists as part of Mudéjar architecture in Aragon. Mudéjar is the style created by Muslim craftsmen working for Christian patrons after the reconquest, and in Teruel it took the form of tall square towers decorated with geometric brickwork and glazed green and white ceramic.
The towers of San Pedro, San Martín, El Salvador and the cathedral of Santa María de Mediavilla are the main ones. The cathedral has a painted wooden ceiling that has been called the Sistine Chapel of Mudéjar art, and a climb up the tower gives a view over the town. Teruel is also known for the story of the Lovers, Diego and Isabel, a medieval tale of love and death that is retold in a mausoleum next to the church of San Pedro, and every February the town stages a festival around it.
Riding here is largely a matter of getting in and out. The surrounding roads run across high plateau and through dry valleys, often at over a thousand metres, with long straights and open bends. In winter, ice and snow are a real risk, and in summer the wind blows hard and the sun is fierce. The Ceja de Piezarrodilla, named in the ride, is a rocky escarpment in the area, and the landscape around it is austere and beautiful. Albarracín, a short way west, is a medieval walled town in rose-coloured stone, and well worth the detour.
Teruel has everything a traveller needs: fuel, hotels, restaurants and shops. The cured ham, with a protected name, is excellent, and is served in thin slices at almost every bar. A good tapas crawl in the old town is a fair way to end the day. Come in late spring or early autumn, when the days are warm and the nights are cool, and pack a warm layer whatever the season.