Morella

Morella, capital of the Els Ports district in the north of the province of Castellón, is one of those places where the stone tells the story better than any book. Since 2013 it has been a member of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain network, and a walk round its churches is all it takes to understand why.

Your visit should begin at the Archpriestal Church of Santa María, built between the 13th and 16th centuries in the Gothic style. Unusually, its façade features two portals: the Portal of the Apostles and the Portal of the Virgins. Inside, surprises await, such as the Portico of Glory frieze, carved into the back of the choir, and the remarkable spiral staircase that climbs up to it. Also worth looking out for are the three rose windows, with original 14th-century stained glass from the Valencian school, the high altar, the organ by Francisco Turull and a head of Our Lady of Suffrage painted by Sassoferrato in the 17th century. As a curiosity, in 1700 Pope Innocent XII granted it, by papal bull, the privilege of being affiliated to the Roman Basilica of St John Lateran, with all its graces.

The other great landmark is the Convent of San Francisco, begun in 1272 and consecrated in 1390 by Bishop Hugo de Lupia. Its church, with a single nave and side chapels, pointed arches and a gabled timber roof, is a fine example of Valencian Gothic. Although it was given a Neoclassical covering in 1800, today it has been restored to its original appearance. But what is truly striking lies in the Chapter House: a 15th-century fresco depicting the Dance of Death.

You can round off the tour with the churches of San Juan and San Miguel, and the former Church of San Nicolás, in late Romanesque style, now converted into an exhibition space.