Avila+2

Avila is one of the towns declared World Heritage site in Castilla-León. It is located at 1131 meters of altitude on a hill, inside the Spanish North plateau. It may be the highest town in the country. Consequently its climate, above all in winter, could be considered a disadvantage for visitors. On the contrary, in spring or summer, its fresh air and cool temperatures make the town a nice place to visit. Avila is well-known for its city wall and for being Saint Teresa`s town. The number of religious landmarks (churches, convents, monasteries) is, without a doubt, large and a good deal of them are really charming masterpieces of the Romanesque style. Practically, all of them are placed outside the city wall, except St. Teresa`s convent. However, visitors will find the ancient palaces, property in the past of the local medieval aristocracy lying inside the walls and not by chance. The massive walls, which were never attacked or besieged, not only had a military defensive function, but also a significant show of power by the aristocratic families who wanted to keep control inside and the people outside. At present, several palaces have been transformed into hotels or restaurants being possible to have a coffee, a meal and admire their architectural beauty. Focusing the interest on the city walls, something curious and usually unnoticed by the tourists having a walking tour around it, are the ancient remains embedded as a part of the wall. Paying close attention, the visitor can find out many carved stones dating back to the ancient Roman cemetery near here, reused to raise the wall, even some stone wild boar from the Iron Age. St. Salvador's cathedral is a fortress-cathedral being part of the defensive wall on the East side. The striking dark red stones which appear sometimes come from “La Colilla” a nearby quarry that provided different types of granite. The local library is located at the “Palacio del Rey Niño”, close to the cathedral and attached to the wall. It is worth spending a while resting and having a look at newspapers or magazines on the ground floor. Apart from its renowned medieval and religious character, Avila is little known for being the Vettona cultural capital. The Vettones were the ancient Celtic-Iberian group of people who inhabited these lands, from Avila-Salamanca to the Tajo river during the Iron Age before the Romans, and even years after their conquest. The most spectacular footprint of their cattle-dealer way of life are the bulls and wild boars carved on stone and their hill-forts spread throughout their territory. A couple of them, really close to the town, just 12 or 15 Km. The tourist office provides contact with professional tourist guides who are available to prepare a personal excursion to visit the archeological remains on the outskirts. Nowadays, the permanent exhibition named //Vettonia//, situated at the landmark “Torreón de los Guzmanes” is the best way to know and understand this culture, still alive somehow in rural areas of these counties. Clear explanations, short audiovisuals, daily life recreations and remains give a useful information and knowledge to the visitant. Never overwhelming or boring. For someone who comes here for the first time, the essential visit lies between “El Grande” and “ El Chico”, including the pedestrianised network of streets around them. The nickname “Grande” refers to the ancient market at St. Teresa`s square, dominated by the lovely Romanesque front of St. Peter`s church and the controversial building designed by Moneo, “The Cube”, on its left. “El Chico” is a public square surrounded by arcades. It was the ancient market inside the walls. The city council is here now. The most important events take place on both these squares all through the year. It will be a pleasure to wander around this area because landmarks, museums, restaurants, city wall are at walking distance. Typical local products like sweet “yemas de Avila”, “huesillos de santo”, beans or sunflower seeds can be purchased at many shops. If the visitor feels like having a drink before lunch, many bars and cafes have a well deserved reputation for tasty “tapas” and snacks. Frequently, People arrive knowing nothing special about the town and quite keen on reading thick tourist guides. In this case, some good advice would be to do a couple of activities that may provide a general view. “Murallito” is a sightseeing train touring around the main landmarks and viewpoints of the town. The explanations are given in several languages (even in English). After that, visitors shouldn`t miss a sightseeing walk along the top of the walls. Views are fantastic from there: the wide Amblés valley on the South, the new conventions and events center, built where the old cattle-show was located years ago, the Adaja river, surrounding the West side of the wall, with some old buildings and water mills transformed into trendy restaurants; roofs, belfries with their stork nests,… But, above all, time slows down here. If tourists let themselves be captured by the everyday atmosphere, they could think they are in a village, not a town. People chatting in shops or on the streets, no traffic jams, everybody seems to know everybody. In Avila, a part of the daily routines is, if someone has enough leisure time, walking to Sonsoles Sanctuary, 4 kms away, more or less. Everybody, at least once in their lifetime, will go there regardless of their religious confession. It is the most traditional and popular excursion for all kind of walkers. Neither the path nor the landscape are really suggesting but it is a routine that a lot od Abulenses are used to. As a final piece of advice, the landmark “Los cuatro postes”, a couple of kilometers away, on the road from Avila to Salamanca, makes possible to take probably the best picture of Avila that a tourist can make, especially in the evening, when the wall and the city's first lights are switched on. To sum up, a city which seems to belong to the “slow-down” club, ideal for a relaxing week-end, above all for people coming from hectic cities like Madrid but, … a bit cold in winter. Joaquín (Avanzado 1)