Castilla y León, encompassing the former kingdoms of León and Castilla la Vieja, lies mainly to the north-west of Madrid. Among the major cities in this region are Salamanca, León, Segovia, and Burgos.
A road encircles the hill outside the walls of the old town, affording fine views of the walled town and passing a number of interesting churches.
Adjoining the cathedral is the Bishop's Palace, a Neo-Gothic building by Antoni Gaudí (1893). It now houses the Museo de los Caminos, with a variety of material on the history of the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela, and also collections of Roman antiquities and Maragato costumes.
32km/20mi north of Palencia on N 611, just beyond the Canal de Castilla, is Frómista, which was an important staging-point for pilgrims on the Way of St James. Its most notable monument is the brick-built church of San Martín (1066), which belonged to an 11th century Benedictine monastery. It is a magnificent example of Spanish Romanesque architecture, with two round towers on the plain west front and an octagonal tower over the crossing. The church of Santa María has a large 15th century retablo.
Address: Frómista Tourist Office, Plaza de Tuí, Palencia , Spain
Astorga, still partly surrounded by walls dating from the late Roman period, is an old-world episcopal city beautifully situated on an outlier of the Manzanal range. Described by Pliny in Roman times as a "splendid city" ("urbs magnifica"), it rose to prosperity and power in the ninth century and became an important staging point on the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela. The Roman walls are best seen from the main road (N VI) on the west side of the town.
The palace at Astorga.
Cathedral in Astorga.
Address: Astorga Tourist Office, Plaza Marta 2, E-24700 Astorga, Spain
The town's finest building is the cathedral (15th-16th C.), which has three Plateresque doorways with sculptured scenes from the life of Christ on the west front and two 17th century towers.
Address: Astorga Cathedral, Astorga , Spain
Hours:
April 1 to September 30: 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm; Sun:10am-1pm, 4pm-8pm
In the basement of the building to the left of the Town Hall is the Ergástula Romana, an underground room 60m/200ft long, 10m/35ft wide and 8.5m/28ft high which is said to have been a prison for Roman slaves.
In the arcaded Plaza Mayor can be found the 17th century Casa Consistorial. A notable feature is the clock, with two figures in Maragato costume which strike the hour (at present removed during the restoration of the clock).
In the center of this nature park, which lies at heights of between 800m/2,625ft and 2,100m/6,900ft, is the Lago de Sanabria. Among the trees that grow here are Turkey oaks, chestnuts and holly. The fauna includes roe deer and partridges, and the numerous mountain streams are well stocked with trout.
Address: Lago de Sanabria Tourist Office, Plaza mayor 1, E-49300 Zamora, Spain
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Parador Nacional de Gredos
Roman Aqueduct, Segovia
Segovia
Town Walls, Avila
Plaza Mayor, Salamanca
University, Salamanca
Cathedral, Leon
Cathedral of Santa María, Burgos
