The fascinating archaeological site Ruinas Romanas de Valeria is located just outside the village of Valeria, 34km south of Cuenca. It is hardly known to tourists, which equals that rare evocative pleasure of wandering around the site of a former sizeable Roman town without the distraction of coach tours and school groups. The location is fittingly sublime, set amid wild meadows and flanked by dramatic gorges.
There are also remains of a medieval castle crowning the hillside. Stretching below this, dating from 82 BC, are remains of a forum (the best preserved in Spain), as well as a basilica, four reservoirs (used for water supply), urban streets and the well-preserved remains of a vast extravagant fountain stretching over 80m in length with 12 spouts. There is also the original casa colgada here, its upper floor still clearly constructed to cling to the rock side, with the lower floors visible below. The views of the surrounding ravines are magnificent and probably little changed in 2000 years.
