Bajo Aragón has the look of a country that works for a living. Olive trees climb the terraces in tidy grey-green rows, almond orchards fill the gaps, and every village seems to own a mill or a cooperative that presses oil under a protected regional name. The Punta del Alcañizano sits in the rolling hills of the Matarraña district, near Valdeltormo and Mazaleón, two villages of a few hundred people each, on the southern edge of Aragón where the land begins to tilt toward Catalonia and the Ebro.
For a rider, this is easy-going country. The roads between villages are smooth, lightly trafficked and full of long, open curves, with fields of olive and vine on both sides and stone farmhouses scattered through them. Heat is the main issue in July and August, with afternoon temperatures that can be fierce, so go early. Spring, when the almond blossom fades and the poppies come out, is lovely, and so is October, when the light turns soft and the olive harvest begins. If you head south and west toward the Matarraña river, the scenery grows more dramatic, with limestone gorges and the medieval bridge and castle of Valderrobres.
Alcañiz, twenty-two kilometres away, is the nearest town of size, with about sixteen thousand people, so fill up there. It has a castle that is now a parador, a handsome arcaded main square and, for motorcyclists, a special draw: the Motorland circuit just outside town, where world championship races are held, and where track days are sometimes open to ordinary riders. Even if you are not racing, the sound of engines carries on a quiet afternoon.
Eat the local oil on bread, with tomato and a thin slice of cured ham, and you will understand why people here are proud of it. In spring the whole district smells of thyme and warm earth, and the stone walls keep the heat well after the sun has gone.