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| Avila: |
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The city of Ávila
is the best example of what was a walled
city in Medieval Spain. Within its
walls and in the suburbs which surround
them, the churches, convents, monuments,
and the arrangement of narrow winding
streets make this Castilian city one
of those redoubts in the Iberian peninsula
where the history of Spain and the
medieval way of life can be most clearly
seen.
As with many Spanish cities, the
origin of the city of Ávila
is lost in tradition and legend.
According to mythology Abyla was
the wife of Hercules and bore him
a son named Alcideo, who conquered
the centre of the peninsula and gave
his mother´s name to the most
important city which was founded
there.
However, the first known inhabitants in the area which is home to our
city were peoples of Celtic origin, the Vetons,
who found here a strategic terrain, raised on a steep rock and close
to a river, which would allow them to defend themselves and to go about
their shepherding labours. They left numerous remains behind them, both
in Ávila and nearby locations. The most noteworthy are the “verracos”,
boar-like animal sculptures, divinities whose real meaning we can only
guess at. Neighbouring settlements such as Cogotas and Ulaca allow us
to study their way of life. In describing them, the Greek historian Strabo
highlighted their distinctive characteristics as contempt for life, valour,
sobriety, hatred of outsiders, disdain for alliances and the love of
freedom and independence.
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| Highlights: |
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 The
City Walls of Ávila:
The Walls of Ávila
are much more than just a simple instrument
of war. In reality, they are like a
book; a book which reflects the history
of Ávila and its peoples.
More than just explaining the city, the Walls have throughout history
been an active and determining factor in the way the urban development
of Ávila was configured and in the distribution of the urban space
amongst the various social groups which lived here (craftsmen, noblemen,
clergy, Jews, “mudéjares” (Muslims permitted to live
under Christian rule), vegetable gardeners, and so on). If the visitor
carefully contemplates this monument – the most representative
of this wise old Castilian city – he or she will perceive, in an
original and evocative way, the great questions which have always occupied
the minds of the social groups: power, wealth, honour, and more.
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 Santa
Teresa and Mysticism:
Avila was the meeting point
at different periods for figures of great
relevance in mystic literature of the
three religions of the Bible (Christianity,
Judaism and Islam).
Although Santa Teresa de Jesús is the most well-known figure, a
number of Hebrew and Muslim writers are worthy of note. Amongst the Hebrew
writers were Nissim Ben Abraham, who wrote the Book of Wisdom, and Mose
de León, who wrote in the 13th century The Rose of Testimony, the
book of the Pomegranate (“Granada”) and the book of Splendour
(Sefer ha Zohar), the last of which is a pinnacle of Jewish mystical writing.
As for Islamic mysticism, worthy of note are the texts of the so-called
Mancebo de Arévalo, whose work, the Tafçira, a travel diary
which gathers together Muslim traditions, is one of the last spiritual
writings of Islam in Spain.
Nevertheless, it is, without doubt, Santa Teresa de Jesús
who is the focal point for mysticism in Ávila, insomuch
as she has left a profound mark on the city and there are
no end of places and corners where her trail can be followed.
Threading together these places into a route, the Convent
of la Santa is an almost obligatory starting point. Built
on the land which was occupied by the house where Santa
Teresa was born, this convent of the Order of Carmelitas
Descalzos (barefoot Carmelites) was built between 1629
and 1636 under the patronage first of the bishop of Ávila
of the time (Márquez de Gaceta) and years later
of the Conde Duque de Olivares. In the church´s crypt
there is a Museum which relates the life and work of Teresa
de Cepeda, the Museum of Santa Teresa of Ávila.
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 A
Cathedral Fortress:
Dedicated to San Salvador, work
on the cathedral began in 1091. The first
necessity of the new populators after
the reconquest was the fortification
of the city. But the wall was made to
fit in with the design of the new cathedral,
and it is clear to see how the line of
the east wall forms a semi-circular shape
to accommodate the apse of the church,
which would form one with the rest of
the fortress. It is a cathedral-castle,
with battlements, machicolations and
sentry walks which combine splendidly
with its structure.
Its history is inextricably linked with that of the city. Even the apse,
the so-called cimorro, which Alfonso VII climbed in an event which has
gone down in history, is the central motif of the coat of arms of Ávila.
It was the stage for great events in history: here was where the Holy Council
of Comuneros met before their rising against Carlos I. |
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 The
Romanesque:
After the final conquest of
the city of Toledo, Ávila embarked
on a period of repopulation. Spurred
on by the privileges granted, people
arrived from north of the Duero and from
beyond the borders of Spain, forming
part of the cortege of the count Raymond
of Burgundy, son-in-law of the king,
and the man responsible for the task
of directing the repopulation of the
newly-conquered lands.
Together with the wall, the repopulation meant the building
in Ávila of more than twenty religious buildings
(parish churches, convents, and hermitages) around which
the life of the new city was organized. Of some of them
there are now no more than documentary records, such as
San Román, Santa Cruz, San Silvestre, San Gil or
la Trinidad At different times the hermitages of San Marcos
and San Lázaro and the convents of San Clemente
de Adaja and Sancti Spiritu also disappeared. San Martín,
la Magdalena, San Juan y Santiago underwent considerable
renovations later on. There are some remains of San Pelayo,
today in ruins in the Retiro park in Madrid, and of the
convent of La Antigua and Santo Domingo. San Vicente, San
Pedro, San Andrés, San Segundo, San Esteban, San
Nicolás, Santo Tomé and Santa María
de la Cabeza are still in good condition today.
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 Palace
of the Davila:
This palace today is a combination of what must have been four houses built
by different branches of the family. The oldest constructions are on the
façade which faces the city wall, with traces of pure Gothic. The
defensive nature of the house can be seen in the battlements and machicolations,
and in the stonework, which is the same as that of the wall.
There were many great men in this family, which descends from the repopulator
Esteban Domingo, who is mentioned in history. But the most noteworthy figure
was Pedro Dávila, first marqués of las Navas. He lived in
this palace in the 16th century, and despite the great power he enjoyed,
when he decided to open a postern in the wall from his house, he came up
against the Council, which was responsible for the city gates, and which
could not allow access to remain in the hands of a private citizen. After
a lengthy lawsuit he was forced to block up the exit (see extramuros) but
carried out work on the main façade and built a window, beneath
which can still be seen the inscription “WHERE ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER
IS OPENED”. |
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 Tower
of Los Velada:
Hernán Núñez Arnalte, Treasurer to the Catholic Monarchs
and first husband of Doña María Dávila, bought from
Francisco de Loarte, in 1475, a dwelling with a tower, the size of the
Cathedral church of this city. After she was widowed, Doña María
married the viceroy of Sicily, and when he died she founded a convent of
nuns of St. Clare in which she lived. She named the nuns as her heirs,
and they fulfilled her wish of building a chapel by selling the house to
Teresa Carrillo de Mendoza, married to Gómez Dávila, a nobleman
from Villanueva y San Román, later marqués de Velada, a title
given to him by Felipe II. The new owners repaired it and expanded it with
the inclusion of a neighbouring house. The house is decorated with wrought
iron grilles on the windows and noble crests, and has doors in two façades.
Inside, around an endless courtyard, are the main rooms. This house is
where Carlos I resided with his wife and son, the future Felipe II. After
a drawn-out history and progressive deterioration, it was restored and
turned into a hotel. |
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 Gastronomy:
Fundamentally based on the agricultural
and livestock products provided by a
province characterized by its geographical
and climatic diversity,
the cuisine of Ávila owes much to the legacy bequeathed by the co-existence
of three cultures: Islamic, Jewish and Christian. This enables Ávila
to offer a gourmet menu of typical dishes with considerable prestige.
As an introduction to the gastronomic delights of Ávila,
nothing better than allowing oneself to indulge in the
custom which is so rooted in our land of “going for
tapas” (Ávila en Tapas), and thus tasting
a multitude of different flavours and textures, which will
bring you closer to the culinary habits of Ávila.
As a starter for a good meal we propose a plate of mixed
appetizers with products such as pork loin and “chorizo
de olla” (cured pork sausage); we can then continue
our journey through the gastronomy of Ávila with
the famed beans of the Barco de Ávila, with an official
guarantee of quality, or chickpeas from la Moraña,
the origin and basis of the esteemed “cocido moragueño” (a
local stew).
If we are looking for a lighter first course, vegetables
offer many possibilities, for example green beans, stuffed
onions, cabbage with garlic “arriero” or stuffed
peppers. Another typical dish is “patatas revolconas”,
boiled and mashed potatoes, flavoured with paprika and
small chunks of fried pork (“torreznillos”).
Roast, fried, grilled or barbecued meats all make up a
large part of Ávilan cuisine. Ávilan beef,
from the “Ávileña” breed, and
with an official guarantee of quality, offers us the chance
to sample the famed “chuletón” or beef
steak. But the menu also has room for roast suckling pig,
roast kid, roast lamb and game.
If we prefer to include fish, the rivers Alberche and
Tormes provide us with their wonderful trout, which can
be fried, baked or marinaded, and will satisfy the most
exquisite palate.
 A
good wine can accompany any menu we choose, and if we want
a local one, Cebreros and El Tiemblo are two fine examples.
There is also a rich and varied selection of desserts,
the most well-known of which are “yemas” (sweets
made with sugar and egg yolks). But we should not forget “torrijas” (bread
soaked in wine or milk, fried and sweetened), “amarguillos” (sweet
made with bitter almonds), “huesitos” (marzipan
sweets), “natillas” (made of egg yolks, milk
and sugar), “empiñonados” (sweet biscuits
with pine nuts) or a selection of tarts.
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| Source: Turismo de Avila |
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