Castilla-La Mancha, Spain: living history… but so much more

When asked where the biggest wine region is in the world, most people might not know that it is in Castilla-La Mancha – the land of Don Quixote.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Don Quixote de la Mancha is one of the most famous books in the history of literature. This novel, which tells the adventures and especially the misfortunes of a man who wanted to be a knight-errant in the land of La Mancha, was written by Miguel de Cervantes in the 17th century, and is among the world’s most translated tales.

In Spanish literature, that period is known as the Golden Age, and 400 years on, an increasing number of curious travellers are following in the footsteps of the “Knight of the Sad Countenance”.

But it’s not just a literary route – it’s a journey through some of the most magical landscapes in Spain, its plains of infinite horizons, the old shops dotted with indigo, the villages of wide streets, and endless green vineyards.