In Topas stands the 15th-century Iglesia de la Virgen de la Asunción; within the municipality, Castillo de Buen Amor is located beside Villanueva de Cañedo. The Vía de la Plata adds a landscape perspective to these cultural sites. When looking for a holiday rental in Topas, it helps to prioritise your interests: are church art and the hermitage beside the castle your main focus, or would you also like to include the route’s views across hills and plains in your travel plans?
Church, Castle and Hermitage
The Iglesia de la Virgen de la Asunción houses an altarpiece of considerable artistic value. An altarpiece is a decorated structure behind an altar; this means that alongside the church’s age, its furnishings also merit attention. Castillo de Buen Amor is located in the municipality of Topas, beside Villanueva de Cañedo. The hermitage of Villanueva del Cañedo is also beside the castle. Together, these sites offer different points of cultural and historical interest: for the church, its construction date and furnishings stand out; for the castle, its location beside Villanueva de Cañedo and the hermitage next door are notable.
Vía de la Plata: Stage and Landscape
The Vía de la Plata is a route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Stage 8 runs from Calzada de Valdunciel to the provincial border with Zamora; Castillo de Buen Amor and Cárcel de Topas are associated with this stage. A detour of just over 2 km from the Vía leads to the castle near Villanueva de Cañedo. When planning, it is worth distinguishing between the stage and the detour: the stage has named endpoints, while the distance given refers to the route to the castle.
The landscape also offers different perspectives. From a rise along the route in the Topas area, the view extends for more than 100 km, with the Gredos and Béjar mountain ranges as landmarks. Elsewhere, the route descends to the Rivera de Cañedo, which stretches across a wide plain there. The distant views from the rise and the plain by the Rivera are two distinct landscapes described along the route. If you want to make the landscape a focus of your trip, you can take these features into account when choosing your stage.
Festivals and Religious Traditions
Hundreds of worshippers from Topas, Valdelosa and Calzada de Valdunciel, as well as from several places in the province of Zamora, take part in the annual celebration in honour of the Virgen de los Remedios. One celebration was scheduled to include a procession around Castillo de Buen Amor after the midday Mass. A description from 2021 also mentions patron saint festivities in Topas around 13 June in honour of Saint Anthony of Padua. If you would like to plan your stay around a celebration, check the dates for your year of travel.
Discover more destinations: Horcajo Medianero, Cabrerizos, Zamayón, La Atalaya, Bermellar, Valverdón, Villasrubias, Serradilla Del Arroyo
For the broader travel overview: Salamanca.
