Gentle hills alternate with small plains criss-crossed with olive groves, vineyards and almond trees dotted at the same time with beautiful farmhouses, hermitages and towns that treasure a great heritage. It is not surprising that more and more people describe Matarraña as the Spanish Tuscany. A Teruel region located in the east of the province of Teruel, bordering to the east with the province of Tarragona and to the south with Castellón. A magic triangle in which, however, a self-made land emerges.
In fact, the fairest thing would be to describe Matarraña not as something 'similar to', but as one of the destinations that exudes the most authenticity, something that goes beyond its landscapes and is nourished by its people, its gastronomy, its traditions and , how could it be otherwise, also tourism away from the big circuits and 'all-inclusive' offers.
France has Provence, Italy Tuscany, and Spain Matarraña, claiming its essence and that is its claim: enjoy it with the utmost respect. It has already made a name for itself as an emblem of the 'slow' philosophy that proposes taking the time necessary to produce something of quality, enjoying the process and adapting to the natural rhythm of the planet. It is no coincidence that this land -where even in a hurry decides to stop along the way- is the first to house the first 100% self-sustaining luxury hotel in rural Spain: the Hotel Torre del Marqués. An 18th-century farmhouse that has been rehabilitated and integrated into the environment that is supplied by renewable energies, something more than meritorious in a five-star hotel, the first in the region.
The woman behind and in front of the project is Marta Goiri, who found the enclave in 2016 “after months of searching for locations”. The requirements were not easy and did not stick to the classic beach or mountain. He must have had something else. That 'I don't know what I know' capable of making the traveler fall in love as much as her and her husband, companion of something more than a business adventure, Óscar García. So it was. Upon discovering her, her pulse quickened. "It was a crush." If the fund, the incomparable setting, had to meet demanding requirements, the form was not going to be less. “We wanted to carry out a sustainable rehabilitation project that would take care of the environment and the local population,” shares Goiri.
For this, a large part of the materials that have been supplied are local, such as the plaster floors from Albarracín or the tiles in the common areas of the dining room are pieces of clay from Perelló. Another example: the walls are rebuilt with sandstone recovered from old demolished farmhouses in the area. Although for Marta the biggest challenge and at the same time the most interesting project is the expansion area. “It is made of rammed earth, which is a traditional construction system in the area where the basic material is sand from the farm itself and straw,” describes the owner.
The use of renewable energies as a source of supply is undoubtedly one of the great intangibles of the farm and that somehow illustrates the importance of leaving no trace, beyond the emotional one. “We always wanted to make a building or an environment that could be almost self-sufficient. We install the photovoltaic panels looking for little visual impact. That is why we placed them on the car park canopies and oriented them in such a way that they could capture the sunlight well”, highlights Marta Goiri.
Thanks to them, the Torre del Marqués Hotel has reduced its energy dependence on fossil fuels and proportionally reduced CO2 emissions. A source of energy, solar, which is called to be one of the decisive vectors in the energy transition. From the hand of the star king, not only are the five stars that have crowned it as one of the best, most comfortable and prestigious luxury rural tourism establishments, but also as one of the most necessary.
Five stars and a sun that is capable of supplying energy to this magical place just as it does in other large-scale locations. One of the most significant takes us to the Canary Islands, where Naturgy has begun the construction of its first photovoltaic solar plant in the community in Telde. Salinetas, name with which the project has been baptized, will involve an investment of more than 2.68 million euros and will allow the creation, during its construction, of more than thirty jobs.
With 4.18 MWp of power, Salinetas is expected to produce around 7.23 GWh per year, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of some 2,000 homes. A saving that will be added to that generated by the other wind facilities that Naturgy has in operation in the Canary Islands. In addition, the company has also begun construction of its first renewable facility in the United States, the 7V Solar Ranch photovoltaic plant in Texas, with 300 MW of peak power. The plant will occupy an area of more than 800 hectares, which will make it the company's largest with this technology in the world.
As in the Hotel Torre del Marqués, these new infrastructures will make it possible to displace the use of other sources of conventional electricity generation, in addition to other polluting emissions. "Since we have the sun, here, in Matarraña, or in the Canary Islands, or in all the areas where it is possible, we must take advantage of this resource," defends the owner of the Hotel Torre del Marqués, a name that emerges as a tribute to the first owners of the farm whose existence appears for the first time referenced in history by the hand of Cid Campeador.
"What we want is to contribute this small grain of sand so that future generations find an environment and a planet, not just as we have found it, even a little better," Marta wishes. For her part, she will not remain.
In addition to the use of high-quality thermoregulatory and insulating natural materials, a greenhouse space is added that allows solar heat to be collected in the cold months. Its commitment to the planet and the environment is reflected in the use of local products. "What we do not produce ourselves, we obtain from suppliers who appreciate and work with sustainable crops, striving to minimize the impact of their activity on the environment and to maintain local varieties with small seasonal farms," they clarify.
Another example is its decision to eliminate plastic from its production and supply chain, or the use of organic waste as fertilizer for the organic garden, vineyards and olive groves, transformed directly in its composter, thus allowing a natural increase in the production of them.
Water is another of those threatened resources that have been proposed to optimize to the maximum from the beginning. The water they use to irrigate the orchard comes from natural rainfall, which is collected in a pool and then used efficiently. They also purify the water used in the hotel and restaurant to irrigate the olive groves located on the farm from which, in turn, they extract their own olive oil. A small universe that is more circular than ever and with which each day they fulfill a maxim: every time the carbon footprint is reduced, the footprint that this estate leaves on its guests grows in the form of an indelible memory.
