The escarpments of the Hoya de Huesca: Piracés, Sesa and Salillas

Along the cliffs, the town of Piracés presents a striking contrast of landscapes.

With its rugged terrain, its eroded terraces, its chimney-like rock formations and desert plains together with the backdrop of the Sierra de Guara and high Pyrenees, this is a stunning landscape. Along the old Roman road that connected Huesca with Lleida you arrive at “la Peña del Mediodía”, where the ruins of the old Moorish fortress are preserved. The village of Sesa also has historical importance and even used to mint its own coins. With a mixture of myth and tradition, there are many legends associated with the village of Sesa and witchcraft. In its surroundings you find several caves which, according to folkloric legend, possess special fertility powers. The nearby village of Salillas opens its old ice well to visitors in order to show the importance of the ice trade in the time of our ancestors.

The village of Ayerbe is the traditional communications hub between the plains and mountains and home to important agricultural and livestock market. Here you can find the Santiago Ramon y Cajal Interpretation Centre. He was a Nobel prize winner in Medicine, who spent much of his childhood in Ayerbe. By visiting what was his home, you can learn about his life and his contribution to scientific research through his drawings, photographs, instruments, microscopes and other objects, accompanied by a number of anecdotes and curiosities.

Alongside the river Gallego in the picturesque village of Riglos, stand the "Mallos"; an impressive rock formation  with 300-metre high vertical walls, home to one of the largest colonies of griffon vultures in Europe, which can be seen nesting and soaring high above. There is an ornithological observation centre: “Arcaz raptors” which allows visitors to see red kites, eagles, owls and vultures close up in their natural habitat through modern observation apparatus and with live-feed cameras.