In a deep gorge of the Júcar River, the rock that supports Alarcón rises above the flatland and the gap in the valley. Alarcón is both a viewing point and a natural defence, if ever there was one. It’s not surprising that it was chosen in the past as a place of settlement; its natural moat and its watchtower designate it as strategic at first sight. But it was the Arabs who erected the first fortress and the place name comes from their language. From the road, the castle draws the rock which scratches the sky, and the entrance to its walled premises submerges us in the cultures that inhabited it and corrected its architecture and its layout without affecting its wall, which is almost intact and can be crossed using the gateways that have been preserved: la Puerta del Campo, la Puerta del Calabozo or la Puerta del Bodegón.