Valle de Calamuchita

Calamuchita Valley, full
of tradition and valley
The Center of the province of Córdoba combines hill landscapes with Central European and
national traditions. A destination to discover hundreds of places in the same trip.
T
The journey began with a flight to the dawn, under a stormy
sky and with many turbulences that prevented us from
relaxing completely. It was a good moment to set our minds
on something else and go over the trip circuit: Córdoba
awaits us and there is much to know.
We landed pretty asleep and feeling like starting our journey.
In the rented car, we share a comforting and necessary
breakfast: a large coffee and some traditional alfajores filled
with fruit which are our first contact with the traditions of
the place.
We take the Provincial Route N°5 to go to the center of the
province, more exactly in Calamuchita Valley. We alternate
the entrance to towns with sowing fields and farm animals.
Suddenly the sky becomes clear and in less than a 2-hour
trip, the hill landscape invites us to slow down.
The first stop is Villa General Belgrano, a district where the
high buildings stand out, picturesque shops with wooden
façade and landscapes decorated with colorful flowers.
While we are waiting for a tasting of German sausages
with sauerkraut in a brewer bar –previous visit to the
manufacturing factory- a traffic inspector calls our attention
in the street: his height, physical building and white skin
are out of the average. He is a descendant of the Central
European immigrant who arrived in these latitudes in the
19th century, delighted with the landscape similarities
with the cantons and European valleys of the Switzerland,
Germany and Hungary areas.
Just 40 minutes away from this stop, again along the
Provincial Route 5, we arrive in the beautiful Cumbrecita,
another bastion where the valley becomes a fantastic
melting pot of national ethnicity, immigration colonies and
tourist groups, and where we recognize European features
once again. Susy runs a small gourmet store in this alpine
and pedestrian village. She is dark, with enormous light blue
eyes and eternally blushed. She keeps many of the traditions
her family passes to her, especially the culinary ones: “I
prepare the dough and the stuff in the same way my great
aunt used to”, she proudly tells us while she serves us an
exquisite apple strudel.
When returning, we divert our way towards another tourist
point: Los Reartes. When we enter the village, the sound of
our brand new rented car is the only thing that interrupts the
calmness of the siesta. The village, declared the First Village
in the province of Córdoba in 2006, preserves an evident
sign of the creole and rural identity in every corner. Cobbled
streets, colorful buildings with simple façade, grocery stores
with old exposed bricks and a beautiful chapel with a very
traditional aesthetic make up the scene. The place keeps
historic and natural circuits of low difficulty, such as the path
with carved traces by the Comechingones, by the margins of
the Reartes River.
Rest with the river´s murmur
A splendid sun wakes us up very early and, without
hesitating, we choose to spend the day in Santa Rosa de
Calamuchita to get refreshed in one of its little beaches
surrounded by green vegetation. The rocks of the Santa
Rosa River invites us to sit down to feel the gentle breeze and
the light movement of the water under our feet
Relaxed but hungry, we decide to take back to the PR 5. After
a 30-minute drive, where the curves and reverse curves get
sharper and sharper, we find out, hidden among small hills,
the great sweet water mirror of Embalse de Río Tercero,
the biggest reservoir in the province. Although it is possible
to tour around its calm waters on different watercrafts, we
want to observe them from a high restaurant at the time we
enjoy a delicious pejerrey.
Wooded paths full of fresh hill air, ideal for low and medium
difficulty trekkings. Rivers and streams where to bathe or
do water sports. An excellent Central European gastronomy
and picturesque towns full of stories about pioneers. A PR
5 completely paved and well signed. Calamuchita Valley is a
destination with diverse and fascinating experiences for all
the senses.
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