Chinchilla de Montearagón is one of those hilltop towns that makes you glad you kept walking. The castle crowns the summit, the old town tumbles down the slope below it, and the views across the meseta are enormous. It's far more interesting than nearby Albacete and worth an overnight stop.
The old town has a Plaza Mayor with arcaded buildings, several churches, and the kind of historic architecture that provincial capitals used to have before the modern era favored flatland expansion. There are caves in the hillside that were once used as dwellings and workshops — some are still in use.
Basic services are available — bars, a supermarket, and accommodation options. Albacete is close if you need more.
Chinchilla was the capital of the Marquesado de Villena, one of the most powerful medieval lordships in Castile. Its strategic position on a hilltop controlling the routes between Valencia and the interior made it important from Roman times onward. The castle was built by the Marquis of Villena in the 15th century. The town declined after Albacete — its flat, accessible neighbor — became the provincial capital in the 19th century.
