The peculiar charm of Patones de Arriba

Life, with its unusual teaching techniques and those circumstances, which are really fantastic lessons in wisdom, always takes a moment to surprise us and in the same way as the ancient rose windows that dominated medieval sacred buildings, representing the disconcerting twists and turns of the Wheel of Fortune, teaches us that today's prince can be tomorrow's beggar.

This great truth can also be applied to towns, where, at this point, I can't think of a better example than this picturesque town in the Madrid Mountain range, which responds to the curious name of Patones de Arriba and which, being traditionally considered one of the poorest towns in the area, exudes vitality today, standing out for being one of the most touristic places in our Community.

This is due, among other factors, to its peculiar architecture, typical of the so-called 'black villages', where stone and slate predominate, and also to its disconcerting legends about a supposed royal dynasty, which would go back in time to the dark period of the reign of the Visigoths in Spain and whose representative continues to exercise the symbolic and anecdotal title of King of the Patones.

NOTICE: Both the text and the accompanying photographs are my exclusive intellectual property and are therefore subject to my Copyright.