The old-world town of Soria, situated in the bleak upper valley of the Río Duero, on the right bank of the river, was an important frontier town in the Middle Ages, lying as it did on the Duero line which separated Christian from Moorish Spain. Now chief town of its province, it is still a relatively
undeveloped small town. Its wealth of Romanesque buildings, however, makes it well worth a visit.
History
Nothing is known of the origins of the town. It was captured from the Arabs by Alfonso el Batallador, king of Aragon, and soon afterwards became part of the kingdom of Castile. Thereafter it played no significant part in history. A number of noted Spanish writers lived in the town, among them Gustavo Becquer, the essayist Miguel de Unamuno and the great lyric poet Antonio Machado (1875-1939).