Cáparra Voyage Tips and guide

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Cáparra is a ruined Roman city in Extremadura, Spain.

The Roman city of Cáparra is in the valley of the river Alagón. In Roman times it was in the province of Lusitania. It was approached via the Roman road known as the Vía de la Plata ("silver road") and is now permanently abandoned. It is said to have been a pre-Roman city, although this remains unconfirmed and has been questioned by some authors.

The walled city covered an area of approximately 15–16 hectares, although it is known that in the area north-west of the city there were many houses, so that the settled area is thought to have been much larger than the walled area. The city was smaller and less important than some other Roman cities of the Iberian Peninsula, but was among the main population centres between the Tagus river and the Sierra de Gredos.

Its urban organisation corresponds to an orthogonal plan, with the Vía de la Plata as the principal axis, passing through the city in a north-south direction.

The name of the city is pre-Roman, probably Veton, just as the origin of the settlement. Possibly the city's significance derives from those roots which could indicate a centre for exchange, bartar, and trade, inasmuch as the position of Cáparra is at the meeting of two roads, one leading to El Jerte through the Puerto de San Gamello and the other to the Roman bridges over the Ambroz and the Pontoon in the Alagón.

Cáparra lies some 6 km east of Guijo de Granadilla, 15 km north from Plasencia. Take N-630 from Plasencia and turn west towards Guijo at Villar de Plasencia (or hike along GR-100 "Ruta de la Vía de la Plata" between Asturias and Seville, or "Señada Real Soriana Occidental" as the local part is called).

40°10′1″N 6°6′4″W

Map of Cáparra

The area is small enough to get around by foot.