Silves

Silves is a small hamlet within the municipality of Boltaña, in the Sobrarbe district, Huesca province, in the Aragonese Pyrenees foothills of Spain. It has nothing to do with the well-known Portuguese town of the same name — this Silves is a remote, largely deserted mountain settlement that rewards travelers looking for quiet history rather than crowds.

Where is Silves and how do you get there?

Silves sits on a hillside above the Ara river valley, at an altitude of roughly a thousand meters. The easiest approach is to drive to Boltaña first, then continue on foot or by a local track up to the settlement — for generations the only link to the valley was a steep mule path that residents used to reach markets. The climb today is more manageable but still not a drive-up stop; plan for a short hike rather than a parking-lot visit.

What can you see in Silves?

The hamlet is split into two clusters, Silves Alto (Upper) and Silves Bajo (Lower). Silves Bajo holds a small Romanesque church dedicated to Santa Eulalia along with the ruins of an old hermitage and farm outbuildings. The standout building is Casa Peña, a stone house perched right on the edge of a rock outcrop, with a wine cellar cut into the stone beneath it. Silves Alto still has a handful of houses — Casa Rufas, Casa Pedro and Casa Sampietro among them — surrounded by the traditional stone barns (bordas) typical of the region. The views over the Ara valley and the surrounding Sobrarbe peaks are reason enough to bring a camera.

What's the history behind this abandoned village?

The settlement began as an 11th-century fortified outpost, built during the reconquest of Sobrarbe by Navarrese kings, a campaign completed under Sancho III the Great around 1017. As late as the 1950s, Silves still had around thirty-odd residents, living off livestock herding and subsistence farming. By the 1960s the village had emptied: some families resettled in Boltaña itself, while others moved further afield, with at least one household said to have emigrated to France. Silves then sat empty for decades until 2001, when part of the abandoned houses were reoccupied by newcomers from Madrid seeking a quieter life away from the city.

When is the best time to visit?

Late spring and early autumn are ideal, when the paths are dry and Pyrenean temperatures are mild. Summer can get hot on the exposed slopes, while winter snow and ice make the steep sections trickier. A visit works well as a half-day add-on to a stop in Boltaña itself.

Frequently asked questions

Does anyone still live in Silves? Yes, a small number of people — after the village was abandoned in the 1960s, part of it was resettled starting in 2001.

How long is the walk from Boltaña to Silves? It depends on the route and your pace, but the old mule path is steep and typically takes one to two hours one way.

What's the main thing to see in Silves? Casa Peña, a house built on the edge of a rock cliff with a cellar carved into the stone, plus the Romanesque church of Santa Eulalia in Silves Bajo.

Do you need hiking experience to get there? It's not a technical route, but the steep approach and lack of tourist infrastructure mean good footwear and stamina for a multi-hour walk over uneven ground are recommended.