The best MTB trails around Piracés

A small village with rural charm and a deep historical flavor, located on a hill among fields of grain and almond trees. Its medieval defensive tower stands out at the top of the town, the remains of an ancient fortification that still rise above the landscape. Quiet streets, a good fountain, and access via dirt tracks ideal for mountain biking or gravel riding. The perfect spot to stop for a rest, refuel with water, and enjoy the silence of the most authentic Hoya de Huesca.

The town of Novales is in the province of Huesca, in the community of Aragón, region of Hoya de Huesca. Located on an elevation of land next to the Guatizalema River, Novales appears for the first time in records at the end of the 11th century. In the highest part of the town are the remains of a 15th century castle. Built of ashlar, it had a walled enclosure, a tower and a portal with a semicircular arch. Older is the church of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, Romanesque style (12th century), expanded in the 16th century.

This hermitage on the outskirts of Monflorite conserves only its trefoil header, one of the few headers of this type in the Aragonese Romanesque. The hermitage dates from the 12th century and is located on a sandstone bank where tombs have also been found.

The Monflorite church is located at the confluence of the irregular streets of the town. This small town, just 7 km from Huesca, has shared a municipality with nearby Lascasas since the 1960s.

On a small promontory stands Blecua, which shares a municipality with Torres de Montes. They have a popular tradition called "O Viejo Remolón" in which the children of the town ask for money by walking around a doll inspired by a real character, sometimes even from the same town. Finally they keep and burn the doll in the square and with the money collected a popular meal is organized.

In the narrow and steep streets of this town you can find an old bread oven, an old oil factory, a church and two hermitages. There are also remains of the Arab and Christian wall with which the municipality was fortified.

In addition to the Church of the Assumption (in the image), here you can visit the Civil War Interpretation Center, which collects and offers a wide variety of materials to study the war. More information: https://www.turismodearagon.com/ficha/ruta-orwell-y-centro-de-la-guerra-civil-en-robres/

In the middle of the desert, the Canal de Los Monegros serves to irrigate an area of 110,000 hectares. It takes water from the Sotonera reservoir and transfers it to irrigate Los Monegros, La Sobrarbe and Somontano, in the provinces of Huesca and Zaragoza.