Tordesillas and its medieval past
1. GO CRAZY WITH LOVE
Tordesillas breathes history. Here he lived for 46 years old Juana I of Castile (they'll look at you weird if you call it ' the crazy woman ’), confined in the Royal Monastery of Santa Clara . Many museums in the town are still linked to this event and currently dramatized visits are organized that recreate queen isolation.
The monastery where Juana "la Loca" was confined
two. ARTISAN CAKES
Today, the Santa Clara monastery is known for other reasons. the bitter ones and the ' grandpa's pasta ’ are two of the tasty traditional sweets that the Poor Clare nuns make for visitors . You can buy them quietly, through the lathe.
3. ARABIC REMINISCENCES
Another reason to visit the monastery founded in 1363 by the king Alfonso XI they are spectacular and colorful Arab baths of the interior, since it is a old mudejar palace.
Four. LITERARY TRIBUTE TO MEXICO
One wonders why so many Tordesillan shop windows have phrases by Octavio Paz next to mantecados and bitters. The reason is the celebration of the year of Mexico in Tordesillas , what includes exhibitions of Aztec folk costumes.
5. STREET ART
Diego Rivera and Frida Kalho They are the two benchmarks for Tordesillan muralist art, with entire walls of the town converted into canvases for artists such as Carlos Adeva. The project ' Urban Art Tordesillas UT ’ aims for the town to become a Outdoor museum.
6. THROUGH THE HOUSES OF THE CENTER
Of the Main Square until the stone bridge , we find several buildings of the century XVI . The street San Antolin It is one of the most interesting to walk around –and you can go up to the terrace of the church to see the views-, along with the viewpoint over the river in the square The palace.
In the Plaza Mayor they serve the popular "tigers"
7. CROSS THE STONE BRIDGE
Remodeled in the fifteenth century, it is one of the village insignia and one of the images that is repeated the most on postcards. The best views are from the picnic areas along the river. The croquettes of the Hotel Doña Carmen, painted in a colorful pink, are worth a visit.
8. TRY THE COLD MILK
Baonza Ice Cream It has become a place of pilgrimage for lovers of sweets. Many people who visit Tordesillas come directly to sit in one of the chairs in the ice cream parlor -located in the main square- to taste this creamy dessert served in a long glass, with cinnamon and accompanied by a waffle.
9. CHARMING SQUARES
Precisely in the Plaza Mayor we find buildings from the 17th century that are preserved on the cobbled ground. Access point to the four main streets, it is full of craft shops and bars serving the popular “ tigers " -some Stuffed mussels -.
10. OWN PRODUCTS
The food from Tordesilla that is most exported to the rest of Spain is shortbread . But gastronomy does not stop there: cinnamon, meringue mille-feuille or mojicones are some of the sweets with denomination of origin . The best pastry chefs? Without a doubt, the Galicia family.
Some of the sweets with denomination of origin
eleven. FREE-RANGE MEATS
Meat lovers have other options: the Turresilano rooster It is the most autochthonous dish, raised in the municipality's pens and cooked with garlic, almonds and white wine. The roast suckling pig is another of the culinary stars of the town.
12. ENJOY THE WINE
The Muelas winery produces wines of a variety Tempranillo and Verdejo limited edition . The father of the brothers who run the business, Quintin Muelas , is one of the painters who has best known how to portray the day-to-day life of the town.
13. KNOW THE ROCKS
They are part of village DNA , and from the summer they begin to meet in 'rooms' throughout the town. With the whole town dressed in white, the citizens celebrate in September the parties of Our Lady the Virgin of the Rock , whose hermitage is in Tordesillas.
14. RELIGIOUS WEEKS
Another very popular festival is the processions of the Holy Week , declared of regional tourist interest. The town is filled with a special aura, with works of art strolling through its streets.
Tordesillas stone bridge
fifteen. DRESS IN MEDIEVAL
The connection with medieval past continues to be celebrated every october , when all the people join the medieval market . Craft products and people dressed as jugglers and feudal lords make up a outdoor theater.
16. MUSEUM CURIOSITIES
Located in a mansion from the 17th century, the Museum and Didactic Center of Lace , allows you to discover ancestral embroidery, including those made by Queen Juana I. Another curious museum is the Farol Museum, which is immersed in popular festivals.
17. SPLIT THE WORLD
The historic agreement Treaty of Tordesillas , signed between Castilian and Portuguese crowns in 1494 , divided the world between the two naval powers, putting an end to the War of succession . The exhibition of the Treaty Museum includes navigation instruments of the time.
18. WALKING AROUND THE WALL
You can still find remains of the old wall, with the sila tower -from where the municipality is supposed to take its name- as one of the main attractions.
19. LEAFY PINE FORESTS
The surroundings of Tordesillas are also worth a visit. The multitude of pine forests that surround the river form paths to stroll through irrigated orchards and allow one of the customs most appreciated by Tordesillanos to be put into practice: the Snack dinner.
Tordesillas, a historic crossroads