If you are already planning your summer holidays, or if you have simply run out of ideas for your next getaway, we are going to give you a hand, because we have recently discovered the benefits of a small Segovian town that we have fallen in love with.
Its medieval town, declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1973, is perfect for getting lost in a long walk, and is located in the northeast of the province of Segovia, in the vicinity of the Sierra de Ayllón. If what you are looking for is Active turismis the ideal place.
We talk about Ayllón, a beautiful medieval town less than two hours from Madrid that surprises by its history and beauty.
Ayllón, the medieval town of Segovia ideal for a getaway
Ayllón is a medieval town National Historic-Artistic Site since 1973 and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Spain. The great architectural and cultural wealth of this beautiful town is one of the reasons why it is worth a visit. But not the only one.
Like many Spanish towns, this small town is very rich because different cultures have passed through it, beginning with the Celtiberians, whose remains were found on the hill where the tower of La Martina stands today. Although the Roman general Marco Fulvio Nobilior destroyed the village in 190 BC. C., during the Arab occupation of the s. X the area is repopulated and renamed in 1076, this time with the name of “Aellon” from which Ayllón later derives. After them, the Goths, the Visigoths and the Muslims arrived, conserving a Visigothic necropolis in the area of Estebanvela.
During the Middle Ages, the fortress of this town saw kings such as Alfonso VI of León, Alfonso VII “the Emperor”, Fernando III of Castilla “el Santo” and Fernando IV “el Emplazado” pass by, as well as historical figures such as María de Molina and the Cid Campeador, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Vicente Ferrer or Saint Teresa of Jesus.
Bridge and Aguisejo river in its passage through Ayllón
The must-see areas of this beautiful town begin with the Bridge that crosses the Aguisejo River, and the Arch, one of the three medieval gates that the town had.
Main Square of Ayllón
The Contreras palace, ordered to be built by Juan de Contreras in 1497, the precious and wide Plaza Mayor with the Town Hall which is located in the first palace of the Marquises of Villena and the Palace of Bishop Vellosillo, the Casa del Águila and the House-Palace of María Eugenia de Montijo. All stately buildings loaded with history.
The Church of San Miguel Arcángel with remains of the s. XII, and a bell tower 40 meters high, the Hermitage of San Nicolás with a very well preserved Romanesque doorway, and the church of Santa María la Mayor, are some of the buildings that are worth visiting. And although all that remains of the Church of San Martín del Castillo is the majestic tower of La Martina and its stone foundations, it will seem to you that you are in a movie if you visit it.
Tower of the Martina
Los Paredones are a sample of the presence of the Arabs, and the Church of San Juan, a Romanesque sample from the s. XIII, with a Gothic chapel that is still preserved. One kilometer from the town we find the ruins of the Convent of San Francisco, founded by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1214.
What else can you do on a getaway to Ayllón
Sierra de Ayllon
As we told you, Ayllón is located in the foothills of the Central System, in the so-called Sierra de Ayllón, so the hiking it’s almost mandatory. we can make a route through the Aguisejo of 6.2 km that runs along the banks of the river, or visit the Hoces del río Riaza or the Peña de Estebanvela Site.
In addition, we can spend the day in the beautiful Tejera Negra beech forest in Cantalojas which is not far away and which, together with Hayedo de la Pedrosa in Riofrío de Riaza, is the southernmost of those existing in Europe.
Photos | iStock (Jose Ramiro Laguna and Juan Enrique)
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