Favoured by Madrilenos for its cool summer climate, Segovia is situated on a ridge at an elevation of over 1000 metres, giving it amazing views over the Castilian countryside.
Boasting an astounding 800 metre-long Roman aqueduct dating from AD 120, the old town and aqueduct were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Astonishingly, the aqueduct operated up to 1973, testament to the robustness of its cement-less construction, each block simply resting on the other.
The Romans arrived in around 80 BC and, due to the towns strategic position, stayed until the mid-400s. Segovia was occupied by the Moors from the early 700s, until Christian reconquest in 1085 subsequently becoming a centre of textiles in the Middle Ages and home of the famed suckling-pig cuisine today.
Madrid is only an hour away by bus from Moncloa station.
Iglesia de San Millan. Medieval Romanesque style church from the 1100s. (The distinctive curved arches would give way to the pointed Gothic style c.100 years later).View of the Roman aqueduct, also showing the ‘dead woman’ mountain range on the right-hand horizon. City walls and cathedral from the south. Alcazar, foundations dating from 1300s but mostly a late-1800s reconstruction after a disastrous fire. Beautifully refurbished rooms, artefacts and a museum plus tremendous views make it a memorable visit. Plus it, reputedly, influenced Disney in the design of its fairytale castle. AlcazarAlcazarSegovia Cathedral, with dome and filigree spires, dating 1550s. Plaza Mayor and the seventeenth century town hall. Segovia CathedralSegovia Cathedral Segovia Cathedral Segovia Cathedral Segovia Cathedral Background: Iglesia de San Martin (C12 Mudejar tower)Plaza de San Martin, home to a statue of Juan Bravo, popular Castilian rebel leader who fought against the rule of Charles I. Paid with his head in 1521. Iglesia San Clemente. Romanesque style church dating from the mid-1200s.
