The province of Ávila, but all of its imposing capital, keeps numerous secrets perhaps not sufficiently known by travelers. Rural landscapes for hiking or other forms of active tourism, visiting castles that transport a past time and monuments of great artistic and cultural value, and trying a gastronomy to lick your fingers. Here are some of them.
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Image of the Palace of the Dukes of Alba Diputación de Ávila
Piedrahita
To the south of the province, on the northern slope of the Sierra de Villafranca and flanked to the west by the Sierra de Peñanegra, is the town of Piedrahita. In addition to walking through its streets and discovering its porticoed Plaza Mayor or sitting in one of its terraces to taste the typical dishes of the area, you must admire the Palace of the Dukes of Alba, its most outstanding monument. In the English Baroque style, this U-shaped building was built on the site of the old Álvarez de Toledo castle between 1755 and 1766. poetry 'Los dos nidos'.
Other essential points are: the church of Santa María la Mayor, built in the 1460th century and whose structure responds to the Gothic style as a continuation of a Romanesque work; the house of Gabriel y Galán, residence of the poet during the exercise of his teaching in the town; the convent of the Discalced Carmelites, which was founded by María de Vargas y Acebedo in Tornado in XNUMX and preserves the Gothic-style church; the hermitage of the Virgen de la Vega, scene of the traditional festivals of the Valley; the theater, which kept its historic façade in perfect condition; the ruins of the convent of Santo Domingo, of which there are some remains that give an idea of its former splendor, such as the main chapel of its XNUMXth century church, the ribbed vaults in the side naves, the façade and the main door, and the bullring, where the headquarters of the Valle del Corneja Equestrian Association is located, which works to encourage the interest in horses in the region.
In addition, this town is a privileged place to practice paragliding.
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Arenas de San Pedro Provincial Council of Ávila
Sands of San Pedro
Located on the southern slope of the Sierra de Gredos, in the natural region of Valle del Tiétar, is Arenas de San Pedro. In a short walk, which boasts an enviable natural environment, visitors can come across various monumental jewels, such as the Gothic castle of Constable Dávalos, built between 1395 and 1423. A museum in which they take a journey through its history. In addition, different cultural activities and festivals are held in the parade ground, and also, you can walk through the garden, and you can get spectacular views of the town. The palace of the Infante D. Luis de Borbón y Farnesio, a neoclassical building that stands out for its portico of classical proportions designed as a triumphal arch and its balcony with a balustrade, all in granite stone, the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, in The one that highlights the Renaissance-style Santa Bárbara tower, the medieval Aquelcabos bridge and the hermitage of Cristo de los Regajales, its other essentials.
In the outskirts of the town, you must visit the sanctuary of San Pedro de Alcántara, the last convent erected by the saint from Extremadura, and the Cuevas del Águila, a jewel of Ávila's geological heritage.
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Arévalo Provincial Council of Avila
Arévalo
The capital of La Moraña is an important reference of Castilian Mudejar architecture. So, the best way to discover all its charms is to walk through its streets. The best testimony is the square of the Villa that. With irregular arcades, cobbled floors and houses that reflect popular Castilian architecture, it is flanked by the churches of San Martín and Santa María, both from the XNUMXth century, and the old Casa de los Sexmos, today the headquarters of the Arevalorum History Museum. In addition to this, you must stop at the Alcocer gate, the only one that remains of the walled enclosure and that leads to the Plaza del Real; the church of El Salvador, a monument preserved by the Romanesque capitals of the main arch of the Gospel chapel and the Mudejar tower of the bodies; The Medina bridge, one of the most outstanding civil works of the town from the XNUMXth century, and, located on the outskirts, the hermitage of Lugareja.
Also noteworthy is its castle, which was built in the mid-XNUMXth century by order of Don Álvaro de Zúñiga, built on the remains of a gate of the walled enclosure of the town of Arévalo from the XNUMXth century.
Of course, no one can leave here without tasting its exquisite gastronomy in which the Tostón de Arévalo stands out, a roast suckling pig, and its typical sweets: the torta de veedor and the rozneques, some sweet and aniseed fried dough ringlets.
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The House of Flowers of Candeleda Diputación de Ávila
Candeleda
Candeleda is located on the southern slope of Gredos, at the foot of the Almanzor. Due to its proximity to Extremadura, its architecture is more similar to that of the towns of La Vera with houses with wooden entrances that can be seen, above all, in the streets of Moral, Corredera and El Pozo. Among these monuments, the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción stands out, a building with three naves and a polygonal main chapel built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries; the Casa de las Flores, which has its interior in the Tin Toy Museum and its colorful exterior decoration is one of the rooms with the most photos; the Casa de la Judería, a cultural and gastronomic space and, on the outskirts, the sanctuary of the Virgin of Chilla, an XNUMXth-century church inside which the miracle of the Virgin is narrated on ceramic panels.
Nearby you should also visit the Vetón Castro de El Raso, one of the most complete archaeological sites of the protohistory of the Castilian plateau dating from the XNUMXth to the XNUMXst centuries BC Also, if you visit it in summer you can try to realize a bath in one of its natural pools that spring from the throat of Santa María.
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Boat of Ávila Diputación de Ávila
The Boat of Avila
The natural head of the region formed by the Valles del Tormes and Valles del Aravalle, El Barco de Ávila is an ideal destination for a weekend getaway. This town, which was completely walled some time ago, still retains some remains of it, as well as the Gate of the Hanged, in the Romanesque style that was rebuilt in the 1663th century. In a walk through its old one you can see noble cases and palaces from different eras and styles, such as the Casa del Reloj, an ancient town hall that was demolished in the 1088th century and was raised again with carved stone walls and masonry with an unmistakable trace. castellana, or the House of the collection, embellished by granite columns. Likewise, the visitor can appreciate the parish church of La Asunción de Nuestra Señora, originally built in the XNUMXth century and extensively rebuilt in the XNUMXth century; the hermitage of San Pedro del Barco, built in XNUMX in the same place where San Pedro del Barco was born in XNUMX; its eight-arch medieval bridge that crosses the Tormes River, the Santísimo Cristo del Caño hermitage and the prison building that currently houses the Municipal Library, the Mentor Classroom and three large exhibition halls.
The most emblematic building is the Valdecorneja castle, built in the XNUMXth century on a castro vetón that was destroyed by the Romans and rebuilt in the XNUMXth century, where cultural activities are currently held.
Here its exquisite beans are famous, which, considered the queens of legumes in Castilla y León, have a Denomination of Origin.
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Madrigal of the High Towers Diputación de Ávila
Madrigal of the High Towers
Madrigal de las Altas Torres represents a unique case of a fortified medieval town located on a plain, in an area without any natural defense. Its walled enclosure, declared a historical-artistic monument, is an exceptional example of medieval military architecture and relevant testimony of the Mudejar construction system. Located in La Moraña, 74 kilometers from Ávila, this town is linked to great personalities, such as Isabel la Católica or Bishop Don Vasco de Quiroga, both born here, and Fray Luis de León, who died in these lands.
The church of San Nicolás de Bari, a fantastic representation of Romanesque-Mudejar art -built in the 65th century and renovated in the 1424th century- of which its enormous 1497-meter-high bell tower and the bathysmal font in which Isabel was baptized stand out La Católica is one of its most representative buildings, but not the only one. The palace of Juan II, the royal residence that housed the itinerant Court of Castile from XNUMX to XNUMX and which currently houses the convent of Nuestra Señora de Gracia; the church of Santa María del Castillo, a temple built with architectural influences from the Mudejar style that also combined Romanesque and neoclassical -incorporated in later reforms- and which has a precious Baroque altarpiece; the Real Hospital de la Purísima Concepción, which currently houses the Quiroga Basque Museum, the nature interpretation center and the tourism pharmacy and in whose chapel is the most revered image of Madrigal; the Santísimo Cristo de las Injurias, and the remains of the Agustino de Madrigal convent, which rise outside the walls among the cereal fields, are other points of interest in the town.
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Bonilla de la Sierra Provincial Council of Ávila
Sierra Bonilla
Bonilla de la Sierra, at an altitude of 1.079 meters, in the Corneja Valley, is a small town that served as a refuge for the people of Avila when they wanted to get away from the city. This medieval town has a large mural painting that covered its perimeter and some construction that is estimated to have been built in the second half of the XNUMXth century or the beginning of the XNUMXth century, although today there are few remains of it. It also had four access doors of which only one remains, the one known as Puerta de la Villa. Its castle, now privately owned, is one of its great attractions that housed different prelates and illustrious figures such as Juan II of Castilla, father of Isabel la Católica, under its walls. The keep in which frescoes with chivalrous themes are still preserved is its building in great condition. But, without a doubt, the jewel that most attracts attention in this corner is the San Martín de Tours collegiate church, a Gothic-style temple whose construction, completed in the first half of the XNUMXth century, was ordered by Cardinal Juan de Carvajal. . In this, its two chapels stand out, that of the Chaves and that of Álvarez de Guzmán and its altarpieces of great beauty. The church is located in the Plaza Mayor, where the ancestral houses prevail.
1,5 kilometers from the town, in an area known as 'El Mortero', you can visit a rock altar where rituals could have been carried out and worship to the sun and the moon and which could date from the time between the end of the Neolithic and the Early/Middle Bronze Age.
