La Nava de Santiago offers a range of reasons to visit: the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, the PR-BA44 circular route and the festivities for Santa Quiteria. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether church architecture, a hike or a festival date will be your main focus.

Church and Local History

The parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is considered La Nava de Santiago’s most outstanding architectural landmark. Its walls are built of rubble stone and ashlar. Above an arch rises the tower, with a cylindrical structure attached to it—a striking combination of different forms that invites closer inspection.

The church includes the Capilla de Santiago, which Doña Juana de Ovando had built in 1662. Its dome is decorated with paintings. The parish church also houses an altarpiece and four marble Evangelists, created by Francisco Morato. The church visit therefore offers several specific points of interest: its construction, the chapel and the sculptural works.

Calle Palacio also reflects the town’s history. It takes its name from the former manor house of the Ovando family, which later became associated with the Marquises of Valdeoro. The street and the church tell different chapters of local architectural and family history.

The PR-BA44: Circular Route and Landscape

The Ruta de Los Olivares y la Campa (PR-BA44) is a 13.1-kilometre circular route rated as easy. This gives you both the route length and an indication of its difficulty—two specific details that can help with planning your time and excursion without specifying a walking time.

The route starts at the pedestrian promenade at the entrance to the town, beside the channelled Arroyo del Lugar. At the junction with Calle Pocita and the Arroyo del Lugar, before the small bridge, there is an information board; an unpaved parking area is nearby. Access details may change, so check the starting point locally before setting out.

Along the way, the route reaches the Arroyo de la Campa valley and offers views towards the Sierra del Machal. It also crosses the Arroyo del Corcho and passes through a landscape characterised by dehesa and traditional olive groves. So the route’s appeal is not just its length: streams, the valley and olive groves also shape its character.

Dolmen de Lácara and Visit Planning

The Dolmen de Lácara is described, together with the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro near Évora, as the largest known monument of its kind on the Iberian Peninsula. Access to the dolmen is unrestricted year-round, and parking is available beside the entrance gate. Even so, check the access information again before your visit.

On 30 September 2025, the Junta de Extremadura reported that improvement works had been completed on the car park beside the EX-214 road and on the path towards the dolmen. The works included drainage ditches, structures and fords. The report records completion at that time; if you plan to visit this area, check local conditions before travelling.

Fiestas de Santa Quiteria and Romería

The Fiestas de Santa Quiteria are La Nava de Santiago’s patron saint festivities and take place on 22 May. The Romería de la Patrona, by contrast, falls on the Sunday after Easter Sunday, so its date follows the Easter calendar. For travel planning, these are two different points of reference: a fixed date in May and a movable Sunday after Easter.

A 2026 cultural chronicle calls the traditional pilgrimage in honour of Santa Quiteria “Matapegas” and describes it as a tribute to the patron saint. In its account of the Romería, the same chronicle notes the tasting of freshly tapped Pitarra wine. It also describes a community gathering where residents share food and drinks. These details offer a glimpse of the customs described without presenting them as a general offer for visitors.

Whether you plan your stay around the festival calendar, the architecture or the PR-BA44, these reasons to visit are clearly distinct. You can search for a hotel in La Nava de Santiago based on what matters most for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Badajoz, Zafra, Higuera De Llerena, Fuente Del Maestre, Cabeza Del Buey, Cheles, Puebla De La Calzada, Magacela

Back to the main travel overview: Badajoz.