From the Holy Grail to the Holy City

After the success of the Via Iberica in 2017 we did get quite a few requests for a new edition.

We have chosen a completely new route, going through unknown territories in Spain towards Portugal and then up north to the finish in Santiago de Compostela.

The start is in Valencia. The Holy Grail, the cup used by Jesus during the Last Supper is supposedly stored in the cathedral of Valencia.

From Valencia we drive west, through the Parque Natural Sierras de Cazorla towards Cordoba. We stay mostly in Paradores and special characteristic hotels, sometimes in the middle of town as in Cordoba, sometimes in a Natural Park and sometimes in a rural area.

After five days we cross into Portugal, the Paradores become Pousadas and our main direction starts to become north.

In Evora we have a day of rest. Evora is one of the best tourist destinations of central Portugal, it is a delightful city that exudes Portuguese charm and boasts a vast array of fascinating historical monuments. Evora was historically a major trading and religious centre, a former importance that is reflected in the sheer variety of tourist sites, all of which are all conveniently contained within the city’s ancient walls. Evora is also young and vibrant, with a large student population who attend one of the world’s oldest universities.

From Evora we go north and drive the magnificent Douro valley along the wines famous for their Port. The scenery start to become seriously mountainous. And we cross into Spain. It is now just an easy drive to the Holy City of Santiago de Compostela, the end of a pilgrimage for many, the finish for our 12-day rally.

If you wish so, we bring your car to the Valencia hotel and pick her up again in Santiago de Compostela.

As always with the rallies organised by the Via Flaminia, this is a layback rally where the competition serves the atmosphere, winning is not a goal on itself. Those who want to have a stop for a coffee can do so. No time constraint. The classification is done via navigation and the competition for the last place is sometimes fierce. 

There are 30 entry positions for cars up to 1940 and pre-war models built just after the war.

For teams who’s added age is under 100, there is a discount of 1% for each year less then 100, with a maximum of 20% (reference year 2020).