Charming towns of Segovia

Many Charming towns of Segovia, which is why we strongly advise you to make a getaway to this province of Castilla y Leon. In fact, the capital itself, by itself, is worth your visit to enjoy its majestic aqueduct and its no less spectacular Alcázar.

But, in addition, the province offers you towns like Sepúlveda, surrounded by the impressive landscapes of the Hoces del Río Duratón natural park, along with others such as Pedraza, which have managed to maintain all its medieval essence. We are going to show you these and other towns that make up our tour of the charming towns of Segovia.

Pedraza, a medieval town

We just started our journey through this unique walled town that will take you directly to the Middle Ages. In its narrow cobbled streets you can see houses with coats of arms on their facades and Romanesque churches such as that of San Juan.

You can also have a coffee in his Plaza Mayor genuinely Castilian and travel through the Gate of the Villa to go to the castle of pedraza, a XNUMXth century fortress restored in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. Already in the first decades of the XNUMXth century it was acquired by the painter Ignatius Zuloaga, which is why it currently houses a museum dedicated to his figure.

It even has a legend in the style of Romeo and Juliet that we can't resist telling you. He says that Elvira, the wife of the count of the castle, was in love with a local young man named Roberto. When the aristocrat found out, he had him assassinated. And, knowing it, the woman committed suicide. He tells the story that some people have seen them walking hand in hand and with halos of fire above their heads through the castle.

To the same period as the castle belongs the old cárcel, which was located in a watchtower where the prisoners and the jailer lived poorly. But we also want to talk to you about a very curious festival that is celebrated in Pedraza. It's about the Night of the Candles, which takes place at the beginning of July and during which all the lights are turned off to leave the town only illuminated by them.

Sepúlveda, one of the most charming towns in Segovia

We now arrive at the town of Sepúlveda, declared Historic Artistic Set and included in the association The Most Beautiful Towns in Spain. As we told you, it is in full Hoces del Río Duratón Natural Park. So rich is the heritage of this Segovian town that it even has a cave art area and two archaeological sites that belong to the Visigoth period.

As for the civil monuments, you have to see the Fernan Gonzalez castle, an ancient Roman fortress rebuilt by this aristocrat. Also the old cárcel, which today houses the tourist office, and several aristocratic mansions. Among these, the houses of the Proaño family, with their spectacular Plateresque façade, and the Count of Sepúlveda.

Regarding religious architecture, the town has a spectacular romanesque ensemble. The churches of the Virgen de la Peña, from the XNUMXth century, from San Salvador, which is the oldest in the entire province (XNUMXth century), and Saint just, current headquarters of Fueros Museum. But we also advise you to see those of San Pedro, San Bartolomé, Santiago and Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.

Ayllón, another privileged natural environment

This town also enjoys a privileged natural environment, as it is close to the Hoces del Río Duratón and the Tejera Negra Natural Park. Likewise, it is in its surroundings the archaeological site of the Cave of the Peña de Estebanvela, the first from the Upper Palaeolithic found in the province of Segovia and where there is also a Visigothic necropolis.

Ayllón dominates from above the La Martina watchtower. But you can enter the town through the medieval arch that you will find after crossing the Roman bridge that crosses the Aguisejo river. Once inside the town, you have to see the beautiful Plaza Mayor arcaded in whose center is the building of the Town hall, former palace of the Marquises of Villena. And, to one side, the Romanesque church of San Miguel, inside which you will see a beautiful Gothic chapel dedicated to Saint Sebastian.

However, the most important church in Ayllón is that of Santa María la Mayor, a baroque marvel from the XNUMXth century with a forty meter high bell tower finished in a belfry. For its part, the church of San Juan and the convent of San Francisco are in ruins. But you can still appreciate its magnificence. We can tell you something similar about the hermitages of San Nicolás and San Martín del Castillo.

For its part, the Convent of the Conceptionist Mothers is Romanesque and the Palace of Bishop Vellosillo Renaissance. The latter houses the Museum of Contemporary Art of Ayllón. And, finally, we recommend that you watch the Casa Barracks, an old prison that is considered the oldest building in the town, and the house of the eagle, with its imposing shield.

But, if you want to learn more about the rich history of Ayllón, we advise you to take advantage of the theatrical visits which are organized in the town and star Francisca, a detective from the XNUMXth century.

Cuéllar, another jewel among the charming towns of Segovia

Likewise, this wonder is a Historic-Artistic Site and it is not surprising. just its awesome castle and walled enclosure they already deserve it. The first, known as the Dukes of Alburquerque, served as a refuge for the queen Maria de Molina during the disturbances that occurred after the death of her husband, Sancho IV.

The triple medieval wall of Cuéllar rises from its two ends, which is largely preserved. Already inside the town, you will find so many monuments that it is impossible for us to tell you about all of them. But, due to its relevance, you have to see the building of the Town hall, built in the XNUMXth century and which combines the Gothic with the Renaissance style, as well as the Palace of Pedro I the Cruel or Tower House.

Even more interesting is the set of Mudejar monuments of Cuellar. Among the outstanding buildings that we recommend you see are the churches of San Esteban, San Andrés and San Martín. But, in total, there are almost twenty constructions that belong to the first period of this style and that make up one of the most outstanding Mudejar focuses in the entire Duero river basin.

But the wonders of Cuéllar do not end there. It also offers you an interesting set of monasteries. Among the most important, Santa Clara, which is also the oldest, San Francisco, in Romanesque style, San Basilio and the Purísima Concepción convent. All this without forgetting the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Henar, which is on the outskirts and where there is a Romanesque carving of the homonymous Virgin.

Anyway, you can also see in Cuéllar manor houses such as those of the Duke, the Rojas, the Velázquez del Puerco or the Daza, as well as the Santa Cruz Palace, also Mudejar.

La Granja of San Ildefonso

We could not miss on our tour of the charming towns of Segovia a stop at the Real Site of San Ildefonso, so called because it was the summer residence of the kings of Spain. For this reason, you have in the villa the spectacular Royal Palace, whose construction, by order of Felipe V, dates from the beginning of the XNUMXth century. At the time, they made grounds, which imitate the classic French style known to the monarch in his childhood.

Likewise, with the palace, other dependencies were built, such as the Old House of the Ladies, which today houses the Tapestry Museum, the Houses of Flowers and Trades, the Royal Stables, the Royal Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity and Pantheon of San Ildefonso.

To the same time belongs the Royal Crystal Factory of La Granja, which today is home to the Museum of Glass. But, along with the royal monuments, the Segovian town offers you many others. It is the case of the precious neoclassical Church of Los Dolores or those of San Juan and Rosario. But also of the imposing House of the Canons, the Collegiate Church, the Bauer House and the Corps Guards Barracks. All this without forgetting the House of the Infants, also of the royal heritage and current national tourist hostel.

Turégano, another town with a legend

We end our journey through the charming towns of Segovia in this beautiful town whose symbol is the castle, a XNUMXth-century fortress that overlooks it from a hill and in which he was imprisoned Antonio Perez, the unfaithful secretary of Philip II.

But you should also visit in Turégano the beautiful Church of Santiago, a formidable Romanesque construction from the XNUMXth century, although reformed in the XNUMXth. Do not miss its central baroque altarpiece or other objects of great artistic value that came from other temples in the province. Finally, near the village is the curious Forestry Museum.

Likewise, Turégano has a legendary character. It's about the call Piron's eye, a bandit born in the municipality and who dominated the roads in the area. According to legend, he committed one of his biggest robberies in the district of La Cuesta by taking all the money he had from a rich rancher who had just sold all his cattle in the Turégano market.

In conclusion, we have shown you some of the Charming towns of Segovia. But there are many others that are also worth your visit. For example, Riaza, with its beautiful Plaza Mayor and its church of Nuestra Señora del Manto, dating from the XNUMXth century, or Maderuelo, with its walls and medieval gate and its church of Santa María. Doesn't it seem like a fascinating journey to visit these towns of Castilla y Leon?