Things to do in Toledo Spain
Cervantes hailed Toledo as that rocky gravity, glory of Spain and light of her cities. Indeed, throughout its history, the city has been a shining center of scholarship and spirituality. The Romans founded the city of Toletum in 193 BC on a site originally settled by a tribe of Celtic Iberians. The city was part of a Visigoth kingdom in the 6th and 7th centuries, then was invaded by the Moors in 712. For centuries it flourished as a city of silk and steel where clergy, merchants, and the military peacefully coexisted under Moorish rule.
Even when King Alfonso VI and El Cid recaptured the city for Christendom in 1085, a cosmopolitan tolerance endured. Christians, Muslims, and Jews cooperated in intellectual exchange and trade, and for nearly five centuries, Toledo enjoyed a reputation throughout the Mediterranean as a center of learning. Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile, grew up in this heady cultural mix and founded the influential Escuela de Traductores (School of Translators) here during the 13th century.
The history of Toledo Spain
Under his rule, Castilian Spanish became the official language, replacing Latin. His court of Jewish scholars made esoteric Greek and Arabic science (as well as Islam and Judaism) accessible to the people of northern Europe. Alchemists studied and worked alongside mathematicians and philosophers. Prosperity brought commissions for mudejares (pronounced mooday harace), or Mudejars, who were Moors staying on under Christian rule. Their exquisite craftsmanship is characterized by intricately ornamental plaster ceilings and sumptuously patterned tile and brick wallsmuch of which can still be seen in Toledo's chapels, synagogues, hospitals, and palaces.
The city, however, was also the seat of the Catholic Church in Spain, and eventually the full weight of the church pressed down to obliterate or banish rival religions during the Spanish Inquisition. An abrupt pogrom in 1355 and a 1391 massacre at a synagogue subsequently turned into a church called Sinagoga Santa Maria la Blanca (White St. Mary) were early warnings that Toledo's tolerance would not last, regardless of local traditions.
After Ferdinand and Isabella summarily expelled unconverted Jews from Spain in 1492, the Jews of Toledo who refused to be baptized were either banished or killed. Seven years later, 4,000 Toledan Moors were baptized as Christians. After Queen Isabella's death in 1504, her husband, the aging King Ferdinand ruled from Toledo. When the new king, Carlos I of Spain, inher ited the mantle of Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 and became Charles V Toledo became an imperial city.
In addition to Spain, Charles commanded Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, Germany, FrancheComte (Burgundy), and the Low Countries, as well as the American lands newly plundered by the Conquistadores. But resentment quickly grew against the king and his Court of foreigners. Between 1520 to 1521, Toledo's Juan de Padilla joined with Juan Bravo of Segovia in a local citizens' revolt, known as the Comuneros uprising, which was quickly crushed.
In 1556, just five years after he assumed the throne, Felipe (Philip) II, son of Charles V, moved the capital to Madrid. Toledo, however, remained the spiritual center of Spain. To distance himself from the established church, Philip decided to build a state palace north of Madrid that would overshadow the great ecclesiastical splendors of Toledo. Eager artists from all over Europe competed for commissions at El Escorial, but one Cretan painter, Domenikos Theotokopoulos, soon fell from Philip's favor and was dismissed. He set up his studio in Toledo, where he became known simply as El Greco (the Greek).
Today, it is El Greco's skewed, Mannerist vision of Toledo, with its rolling clouds over elongated figures and startling clashes of color in almost geometric compositions, that most visitors come to see. Indeed, the skyline has not changed measurably since he completed his View of Toledo. The artist's adopted hometown has no shortage of his work. In fact, it's rare to find so many of a major artist's paintings still in the place they were created.
After the capital was moved to Madrid, Toledo's status as merely the capital of La Mancha province and the fact that far more politically significant prizes were within striking distance spared this city from the worst of the battles that ravaged Spain in succeeding generations. But the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was fought here with full fury. The huge restored Alcazar, which dominates the highest ground in Toledo and was once rebuilt by Charles V as a royal residence, was besieged for a grim two months in the summer of 1936. Francisco Franco's Nationalist rebels held out against the Republican government forces despite blasts of dynamite that collapsed much of the fortress, formerly the most prestigious military academy in the nation.
Fortunately, today Toledo faces no more threatening an onslaught than the hordes of visitors who inevitably get lost in its tangle of narrow alleyways. City residents resolutely provide directions, respond to queries in countless languages, and rarely lose their graciousness. When the last tour bus pulls away at dusk, however, Toledo is returned to the toledanos and, it seems, to its past. This is the best time to explore the twisting byways of this ancient city, finding the way back by remembering the coats of armS carved in stone on the buildings along your route.
Car hire in Toledo
To explore Toledo, take a hire car from Barajas Madrid Airport, which can be pre-booked before you travel, saving you time and money. Cheap airport car hire is available online, and you can visit most of the attractions of Toledo and plan your route with a map of Toledo from the tourist office or car hire company.
What to see in Toledo
For an overall perspective, drive along Carretera de Circunvalacion, following the banks of the Rio Tajo (Tagus River), which surrounds Toledo like a moat. As the road climbs the hillsides, it passes close to a little hermitage called Virgen del Valle, and provides a sweeping view of the city. Close by is an outcropping called Cabeza del Moro (Moor's Head). Anywhere on the hillside offers a good view. Just to the left is the Parador Conde de Orgaz, the best place to watch the sunset, a drink in hand on the patio, with all of Toledo stretched out below.
Just above the Puente de Alcantara (Alcantara Bridge) is the Castillo de San Fernando, a monastery converted into a school, which offers a panorama from a different angle. For a more intimate view over Toledo's tiled rooftops and spires, climb the cathedral's belfry. A door on Calle Hombre de Palo (Stick Man Street) opens onto stairs in the cloisters that ascend the tower. In the neighborhood known as Miradero (the name literally means lookout), not far above the Puerta del Solon the Cuesta de las Armas, cafes offer a fine vantage point out over the river and beyond. From nearly any strategic spot along the old walls, there is a sentry's view of the surrounding countryside.
Special places to go in Toledo
Toledo has so many points of interest that tourists would be hard pressed to view even the exteriors of all historically important monuments on a single visit. If time is especially limited, pick up the free brochure from the tourist office at the Puerta de la Bisagra and follow its essential itinerary, which is arranged in a very convenient sequence.
The Alcazar Toledo
Despite numerous sackings, torchings, and even bombings, this strategic building has been re-girded, patched up, and continually put back into service. The Moors re-fashioned the Visigothic citadel, which had been built over an old Roman fort, and El Cid reputedly served as the city's first governor here. The present structure dates from the time of Charles V, who converted it into a palace, though most of it is now a product of reconstruction.
The north facade, with its Plateresque portal, was designed by Alonso de Covarrubias, as was the east facade, which is by far the oldest. Since the imperial court left the building almost 500 years ago, it has been wracked by misfortune. The palace became a state prison in 1643, and German, British, and Portuguese troops burned it in 1710, during the War of the Spanish Succession. After restoration by Cardinal Lorenzana, it stood only 35 years before being gutted by French troops during the Peninsular War. The Alcazar later re-emerged as the national military academy, though it suffered another blaze at the hands of careless cadets and again had to be overhauled.
Its worst days were during a civil war siege in 1936, when a band of Nationalist rebels under Colonel Jose Moscardo, along with over 600 women and children, holed up inside for two months until Republican government bombs again reduced the structure to ruins. The building also houses the Museo de Armas Blancas de la Real Fabrica de Armas (Royal Arms Factory Museum of Hand Weaponry; ).
Cathedral of the Primates of Toledo
For such an enormous building, the cathedral can be surprisingly difficult to locate. Boxed in by other buildings, on approach it seems to disappear. In the main (west) facade, between the tower and the dome, there are three lovely Gothic portals: the Puerta del Perdon (Gate of Forgiveness) in the middle, flanked by the Puerta del Juicio (Gate of Judgment) on the right and the Puerta del Infierno (Gate of Hell) on the left. The 14th-century Puerta del Reloj (Clock Gate), also called Puerta de la Chapineria (Shoemakers' Gate, because it was financed with help from the shoemakers' guild), in the north wall, is the cathedral's oldest, and is lavishly adorned with Gothic pointed arches and ornaments.
The Puerta de Los Leones (Lions' Gate), on the south, is the most flamboyant, with great bronze doors. The modern entrance is a plain doorway to the left of the Puerta de Mollete, just off Calle Hombre de Palo.
Inside, the architectural styles run the gamut from Gothic to Mudejar (which combines Moorish and Gothic elements) to flagrant rococo. The wrought-iron screens are magnificent, and 800 stained glass windows from the 15th and 16th centuries help light the vast space. Yet even the glorious rose window looks ordinary next to the skylight that directs a single celestial beam onto the altar.
Known as the Transparente, the altar which stands behind the Capula Mayor (Main Chapel) is a bit of Baroque heaven, a swirl of saints and chubby angels created by Narciso Tome in 1732. Some of the paintings have three-dimensional appendages, innovations that have remained controversial throughout the centuries. The polychrome retable above the altar is exquisitely carved, and the walnut choir stalls are also exceptional.
The sacristy contains a wealth of paintings, including 28 by EI Greco, as well as works by Velazquez, Titian, Van Dyck, and Goya. The Capilla Mozarabe (Mozarabic Chapel) beneath a dome designed by El Greco's son, is the only place on earth where the ancient Arian Christian rituals of the Visigoths, dating from the 5th and 6th centuries, are still observed (Christians who were allowed to live and worship under Moorish rule were called mozarabes).
The chapel is open for these daily services in Latin and Spanish. The 16th-century octagonal Sala Capitular (chapter house), which combines Gothic, Mudejar, and Plateresque styles, has a series of paintings of Toledo's bishops and wall frescos. The Tesoro (treasury) displays the gold and silver Arfe monstrance, which is carried through the streets on the Fiesta de Corpus Christi.
Standing 10 feet high and weighing 450 pounds, this elaborate reliquary incorporates gold from Columbus's first shipload back from the Americas. The cathedral is still in use, and visitors often encounter a mass or a lavish wedding in progress. Next to the sacristy is the Capilla de Los Reyes Nuevos (New Kings' Chapel), built in the 16th century for Enrique II and containing a multitude of tombs and likenesses of Spain's kings. Open daily.
The Church of St Thomas Toledo
This unremarkable 14th-century Mudejar church, whose name is an arcaic form of Tomas, is usually crowded with visitors because of one masterpiece, El Greco's El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz (Burial of the Count of Orgaz). The famous canvas was painted some 250 years after the funeral of the count, who had funded the church's first major reconstruction. The scene is split into heaven and earth, with a row of mourners marking the divide. Their faces are portraits of prominent Toledo citizens, all in 16th-century dress.
EI Greco's own face is supposedly just above that of the young St. Stephen, and the boy in the foreground is the painter's son, Jorge. The monogram on his pocket handkerchief is El Greco's signature.
The Moors Workshop Toledo
This almost palatial 14th-century building was once used as a workshop by Moorish masons completing cathedral commissions. Displays are mostly of carpentry and tiles. The Mudejar style of the building, with its artesonados (inlaid wood ceilings) and plasterwork, is exemplary.
The El Greco House and Museum Toledo
The name is a misnomer, for El Greco never lived here, but this was his old neighborhood, and this house did belong to his landlord. Admirably restored to its 16th-century state, the house is charming due to the small scale of the furnishings, especially the tiny kitchen, and its quaint, cobbled courtyard, surrounded by a woodcarved gallery, Renaissance porticos, and intricately carved Mudejar friezes. Spectacular views of the surrounding hills, dotted with patrician villas that have changed little since El Greco's day, can be had from the southfacing balconies on the upper floor. The garden is very pleasant, and there's a fine collection of the painter's later works, particularly noteworthy for its bold portraits of the apostles.
Synagogue of the Thoroughfare Toledo
This major synagogue, built in 1366 as a palace for Samuel Halevy, treasurer to Pedro I of Castile (and later executed by him), was converted into a monastery after the expulsion of the Jews, but many of the original trappings were preserved. Rich cedar carvings grace the 39 foot high artesonado (inlaid ceiling) and the lacy Mudejar plasterwork.
Exhibits at the Museo Sefardi (Sephardic Museum) installed here include a marble pillar from the 1st or 2nd century with carved Hebrew inscriptions, alongside silver manuscript cases, robes and wedding costumes, amulets, and elaborate objects used in Jewish festivals. It takes its name from the street on which it stands.
The Santa Maria Synagogue Toledo
This architectural gem, built in 1180, was once the primary Jewish synagogue in Toledo and was later converted into a church and renamed by the Christian Knights of Calatrava (after a supposed apparition on the premises, to a stable boy, of the Madonna clothed in purest White). The facade is rather drab, but inside, white horseshoe arches and delicately carved white columns shimmer with light. The polychrome altarpIece was added in the 16th century.
Demoted in 1791 to a shelter for reformed prostitutes, then a barracks, until a general commanded its makeover into a quartermaster's warehouse and saved it from further abuse, the synagogue is now a museum and has been remarkably restored to the original splendor it had under the Almohad Moors. About a hundred feet east of the synagogue are the remains of a 14th century mikvah, or ritual bath.
The Monastery of San Juan
The outside walls of this grandiose monastery are hung with chains once worn by Christian slaves in Moorish Granada. The chains were brought here after the slaves gained their freedom in testament to a faith that fueled the final Christian victory of the Reconquista (the centuries-long reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors). Inside, the great church is done in soaring Isabeline style, and incorporates Mudejar and other Gothic touches with Renaissance art. Construction began in 1476 and wasn't completed until the early 17th century.
An important center for the Franciscan order, the monastery was originally planned as the mausoleum of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (they were actually buried in Granada). The initials F&Y (for Fernando and Ysabel) appear repeatedly throughout the building, along with the shields of Castile, Leon, and Aragon; the pomegranate of Granada; and the royal yoke and arrows motif. The Flemish architect Jan Guas designed most of the interior, with its massive round columns and the great shields supported by haloed eagles.
The Hospital of Santa Cruz Toledo
Cardinal Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza initiated plans for this elaborate orphanage and hospital just off Plaza de Zocodover in the early 16th century, and the project was completed by Queen Isabella after his death. The building now houses the Museum of Fine Arts and the Provincial Archaeology Museum showcasing swords and scimitars, ceramics, vestments, furniture, tapestries, and paintings, including 25 by El Greco. Off the lovely Plateresque patio is an archaeology exhibit of mostly Roman finds.
A display of prehistoric items is in the basement. The intricate ceilings, lavish stairways, and spacious rooms are typical of 16th-century hospitals, where pleasant surroundings were considered vital to the cure.
Church of the Christ of the Light Toledo
Also known as the Mezquita, this minuscule mosque, perhaps intended originally as a sepulchral chamber, was built in 980 AD, and is one of the most venerable Moorish buildings on the Iberian Peninsula. Near the Puerta del Sol, it was erected on top of Visigothic ruins and later became a Mudejar church. Delicate horseshoe arches inside are supported by more ancient Visigothic capitals, and paintings in the Mudejar annex, though worn, are rare surviving examples of Toledan Romanesque art.
Cristo de la Luz is shrouded in legend; according to one, EI Cid's charger fell to its knees here during a post reconquest victory parade and refused to rise until a Visigothic crucifix, with a votive candle still flickering, was miraculously uncovered in a brickedup niche. Opening hours are erratic. No admission charge. Calle Cristo de la Luz.
Hospital de Tavera Toledo
This large 16th-century hospital located outside the city gates contains Cardinal Juan Pardo de Tavera's extensive collection of paintings and also features apartments furnished by the Duchess of Lerma in a lavish 17th-century style. The cardinal's magnificent tomb and the family crypt of the Dukes of Medinaceli are in the chapel off the double patio. Impressive portraits by Titian, including the huge Portrait of Charles V, hang in the vast dining hall, but Jose Ribera's odd Bearded Woman is stashed in a side room, camouflaged by bland cityscapes on either side. Upstairs are works by Tintoretto, Zurbaran, and, of course, El Greco, most notably his enormous last canvas, the Baptism of Christ by St. John. Open daily. Admission charge. Calle Baja.
The Roman Circus Toledo
Not much remains of the Roman arena, only a few mosaics and a reconstructed building in an open area outside the gates north of town. Still, this is a pleasant place to stroll after the cramped and twisting streets of the city, and its size hints at the strength of the Roman settlement of Toletum. Open daily. No admission charge. Off Avenida de la Reconquista.
Places to see near Toledo
South and west of Toledo, along either the C401 road or the N401 highway and the local routes branching off of them, rise the harsh uplands that were long celebrated in troubadors' couplets. Streams interlace the scrubby bush cover of rock roses, heather, and cork oaks. The area is best explored by car.
Picnickers should be aware of the wild game deer, wild boar, lynx, foxes, and even wolvesthat lives in the area, mostly in the heights. Much of the land is private hunting ground, particularly in the southern stretches near Los Yebenes, but there are prehistoric sites scattered throughout the region. The towns of Calancho, Los Navalucillos, and Hontanar all boast curious megalithic relics. Ciudad de Vascos, near Navalmoralejo, is an ancient HispanoMoorish ghost town protected by a fortress.
Odd stone boars or bulls called verracos can be seen at the castles Castillo de Bayuela and Torrecilla de La Jara, outside Talavera de la Reina. The town of Guadalerzas is spanned by an impressive late Roman aqueduct with 24 arches. One of the prettiest valleys, reached by heading west toward the higher sierra behind Guadalupe, is Robledo del Mazo, where the locals still wear traditional straw hats decorated with baubles and tiny mirrors.
Route of the Castles Toledo
The area surrounding Toledo is littered with castles, most constructed during the time of the Reconquista. About 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Toledo (local road 401) lies Guadamur, a small town dominated by a magnificent 15th-century castle that was restored in the 19th century. The rooms, occupied for a time by Queen Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad) and her son, the future Emperor Charles V, are furnished with Spanish period furniture, and can be toured on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month (for more information contact the Toledo tourism office). Leaving Guadamur and continuing south, take the first right turn toward, and then pass by, San Martin de Montalban.
The next right turn will bring you to the hamlet of Melque, which contains one of the most beautiful and least known castles in Spain, a jewel of mozarabe (MoorishChristian) architecture. The Melque castle, which also shows traces of Visigothic influence, boasts one of the largest pointed Gothic military arches ever built. Close to the castle lie the ruins of two Roman dams.
Other noteworthy monuments on this southwest circular route are the Gothic Renaissance chapel at Torrijos, the 15th century Mudejar castle at Maqueda, and the turreted edifice at Escalona on the banks of the AJberche River. Except for Guadamur, for the most part these sites are semiruins, and generally open to the public with no fixed schedule. El Greco lovers will want to head north 21 miles (34 km) on N401 to this village for a visit to the Convento deL HospitaL de La Caridad (Convent of the Hospital of Charity). The 16th-century convent contains five El Grecos, including a magnificent Coronation of the Virgin.
Traditional handicrafts in Toledo
Talavera de la Reina and Puente del Arzobispo, both traditional ceramics centers, are an easy day's excursion from Toledo via C502. Talavera is 49 miles/82 km from Toledo) and is the largest city in the province, so don't expect a quaint potter's village. The traditional pottery here features multicolor designs; browse along the main street, where vendors sell shelf after shelf of platters, vases, and bowls. On the fringes of the city, just past the main park, is the Ermita de la Virgen del Prado (Hermitage of the Madonna of the Meadow), a showcase for the famous azulejos, distinctive blue and yellow glazed picture tiles, which date back to the 14th century and were the preferred decorations for the finest palaces and monasteries.
To reach Puente del Arzobispo, popular for its more subdued, green-toned pottery, drive west from Talavera on the NY highway to Oropesa, then south for 9 miles [14 km) to a fortified bridge across the Rio Tajo (Tagus River). Shops and vendors in the village sell ceramics for less than the equivalent items would cost in Toledo, but since quality here is consistently high, there are no astonishingly inexpensive wares. Yaldeverdeja, a smaller and prettier village, lies just 4.5 miles (7 km) to the west and sells distinctive unglazed red earthenware. Farther west on the NY highway, just past Oropesa, is a turnoff to Lagartera, the village where the best La Mancha embroidery originates.
Special events in Toledo
Holy Week
Semana Santa (Holy Week), preceding Pascua (Easter), has subdued beauty in Toledo; especially moving is the Procesion del Silencio (Procession of Silence), which winds through the streets On Viernes Santo (Good Friday). A more boisterous procession the carrying of the Virgen del Valle (Madonna of the Valley) around the hillsides near her hermitage on the far side of the river occurs during the local Romerfa, on Primero de Mayo (May Day, the first of the month) afternoon. Enormous excitement is unleashed for the Fiesta de (Feast of) Corpus Christi (June), when the townspeople dress up in folk costumes and the precious Arfe monstrance from the cathedral treasury is carried through the city streets.
This has been Toledo's ultimate celebration for eight centuries; it takes place on the Thursday of the ninth week after Easter. Check with the tourist office for full details and the traditional parade route. Fireworks light the August skies during the Fiesta de la Virgen del Sagrario (Feast of the Madonna of the Shrine), held annually in August.
Even when King Alfonso VI and El Cid recaptured the city for Christendom in 1085, a cosmopolitan tolerance endured. Christians, Muslims, and Jews cooperated in intellectual exchange and trade, and for nearly five centuries, Toledo enjoyed a reputation throughout the Mediterranean as a center of learning. Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile, grew up in this heady cultural mix and founded the influential Escuela de Traductores (School of Translators) here during the 13th century.
The history of Toledo Spain
Under his rule, Castilian Spanish became the official language, replacing Latin. His court of Jewish scholars made esoteric Greek and Arabic science (as well as Islam and Judaism) accessible to the people of northern Europe. Alchemists studied and worked alongside mathematicians and philosophers. Prosperity brought commissions for mudejares (pronounced mooday harace), or Mudejars, who were Moors staying on under Christian rule. Their exquisite craftsmanship is characterized by intricately ornamental plaster ceilings and sumptuously patterned tile and brick wallsmuch of which can still be seen in Toledo's chapels, synagogues, hospitals, and palaces.
The city, however, was also the seat of the Catholic Church in Spain, and eventually the full weight of the church pressed down to obliterate or banish rival religions during the Spanish Inquisition. An abrupt pogrom in 1355 and a 1391 massacre at a synagogue subsequently turned into a church called Sinagoga Santa Maria la Blanca (White St. Mary) were early warnings that Toledo's tolerance would not last, regardless of local traditions.
After Ferdinand and Isabella summarily expelled unconverted Jews from Spain in 1492, the Jews of Toledo who refused to be baptized were either banished or killed. Seven years later, 4,000 Toledan Moors were baptized as Christians. After Queen Isabella's death in 1504, her husband, the aging King Ferdinand ruled from Toledo. When the new king, Carlos I of Spain, inher ited the mantle of Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 and became Charles V Toledo became an imperial city.
In addition to Spain, Charles commanded Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, Germany, FrancheComte (Burgundy), and the Low Countries, as well as the American lands newly plundered by the Conquistadores. But resentment quickly grew against the king and his Court of foreigners. Between 1520 to 1521, Toledo's Juan de Padilla joined with Juan Bravo of Segovia in a local citizens' revolt, known as the Comuneros uprising, which was quickly crushed.
In 1556, just five years after he assumed the throne, Felipe (Philip) II, son of Charles V, moved the capital to Madrid. Toledo, however, remained the spiritual center of Spain. To distance himself from the established church, Philip decided to build a state palace north of Madrid that would overshadow the great ecclesiastical splendors of Toledo. Eager artists from all over Europe competed for commissions at El Escorial, but one Cretan painter, Domenikos Theotokopoulos, soon fell from Philip's favor and was dismissed. He set up his studio in Toledo, where he became known simply as El Greco (the Greek).
Today, it is El Greco's skewed, Mannerist vision of Toledo, with its rolling clouds over elongated figures and startling clashes of color in almost geometric compositions, that most visitors come to see. Indeed, the skyline has not changed measurably since he completed his View of Toledo. The artist's adopted hometown has no shortage of his work. In fact, it's rare to find so many of a major artist's paintings still in the place they were created.
After the capital was moved to Madrid, Toledo's status as merely the capital of La Mancha province and the fact that far more politically significant prizes were within striking distance spared this city from the worst of the battles that ravaged Spain in succeeding generations. But the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was fought here with full fury. The huge restored Alcazar, which dominates the highest ground in Toledo and was once rebuilt by Charles V as a royal residence, was besieged for a grim two months in the summer of 1936. Francisco Franco's Nationalist rebels held out against the Republican government forces despite blasts of dynamite that collapsed much of the fortress, formerly the most prestigious military academy in the nation.
Fortunately, today Toledo faces no more threatening an onslaught than the hordes of visitors who inevitably get lost in its tangle of narrow alleyways. City residents resolutely provide directions, respond to queries in countless languages, and rarely lose their graciousness. When the last tour bus pulls away at dusk, however, Toledo is returned to the toledanos and, it seems, to its past. This is the best time to explore the twisting byways of this ancient city, finding the way back by remembering the coats of armS carved in stone on the buildings along your route.
Car hire in Toledo
To explore Toledo, take a hire car from Barajas Madrid Airport, which can be pre-booked before you travel, saving you time and money. Cheap airport car hire is available online, and you can visit most of the attractions of Toledo and plan your route with a map of Toledo from the tourist office or car hire company.
What to see in Toledo
For an overall perspective, drive along Carretera de Circunvalacion, following the banks of the Rio Tajo (Tagus River), which surrounds Toledo like a moat. As the road climbs the hillsides, it passes close to a little hermitage called Virgen del Valle, and provides a sweeping view of the city. Close by is an outcropping called Cabeza del Moro (Moor's Head). Anywhere on the hillside offers a good view. Just to the left is the Parador Conde de Orgaz, the best place to watch the sunset, a drink in hand on the patio, with all of Toledo stretched out below.
Just above the Puente de Alcantara (Alcantara Bridge) is the Castillo de San Fernando, a monastery converted into a school, which offers a panorama from a different angle. For a more intimate view over Toledo's tiled rooftops and spires, climb the cathedral's belfry. A door on Calle Hombre de Palo (Stick Man Street) opens onto stairs in the cloisters that ascend the tower. In the neighborhood known as Miradero (the name literally means lookout), not far above the Puerta del Solon the Cuesta de las Armas, cafes offer a fine vantage point out over the river and beyond. From nearly any strategic spot along the old walls, there is a sentry's view of the surrounding countryside.
Special places to go in Toledo
Toledo has so many points of interest that tourists would be hard pressed to view even the exteriors of all historically important monuments on a single visit. If time is especially limited, pick up the free brochure from the tourist office at the Puerta de la Bisagra and follow its essential itinerary, which is arranged in a very convenient sequence.
The Alcazar Toledo
Despite numerous sackings, torchings, and even bombings, this strategic building has been re-girded, patched up, and continually put back into service. The Moors re-fashioned the Visigothic citadel, which had been built over an old Roman fort, and El Cid reputedly served as the city's first governor here. The present structure dates from the time of Charles V, who converted it into a palace, though most of it is now a product of reconstruction.
The north facade, with its Plateresque portal, was designed by Alonso de Covarrubias, as was the east facade, which is by far the oldest. Since the imperial court left the building almost 500 years ago, it has been wracked by misfortune. The palace became a state prison in 1643, and German, British, and Portuguese troops burned it in 1710, during the War of the Spanish Succession. After restoration by Cardinal Lorenzana, it stood only 35 years before being gutted by French troops during the Peninsular War. The Alcazar later re-emerged as the national military academy, though it suffered another blaze at the hands of careless cadets and again had to be overhauled.
Its worst days were during a civil war siege in 1936, when a band of Nationalist rebels under Colonel Jose Moscardo, along with over 600 women and children, holed up inside for two months until Republican government bombs again reduced the structure to ruins. The building also houses the Museo de Armas Blancas de la Real Fabrica de Armas (Royal Arms Factory Museum of Hand Weaponry; ).
Cathedral of the Primates of Toledo
For such an enormous building, the cathedral can be surprisingly difficult to locate. Boxed in by other buildings, on approach it seems to disappear. In the main (west) facade, between the tower and the dome, there are three lovely Gothic portals: the Puerta del Perdon (Gate of Forgiveness) in the middle, flanked by the Puerta del Juicio (Gate of Judgment) on the right and the Puerta del Infierno (Gate of Hell) on the left. The 14th-century Puerta del Reloj (Clock Gate), also called Puerta de la Chapineria (Shoemakers' Gate, because it was financed with help from the shoemakers' guild), in the north wall, is the cathedral's oldest, and is lavishly adorned with Gothic pointed arches and ornaments.
The Puerta de Los Leones (Lions' Gate), on the south, is the most flamboyant, with great bronze doors. The modern entrance is a plain doorway to the left of the Puerta de Mollete, just off Calle Hombre de Palo.
Inside, the architectural styles run the gamut from Gothic to Mudejar (which combines Moorish and Gothic elements) to flagrant rococo. The wrought-iron screens are magnificent, and 800 stained glass windows from the 15th and 16th centuries help light the vast space. Yet even the glorious rose window looks ordinary next to the skylight that directs a single celestial beam onto the altar.
Known as the Transparente, the altar which stands behind the Capula Mayor (Main Chapel) is a bit of Baroque heaven, a swirl of saints and chubby angels created by Narciso Tome in 1732. Some of the paintings have three-dimensional appendages, innovations that have remained controversial throughout the centuries. The polychrome retable above the altar is exquisitely carved, and the walnut choir stalls are also exceptional.
The sacristy contains a wealth of paintings, including 28 by EI Greco, as well as works by Velazquez, Titian, Van Dyck, and Goya. The Capilla Mozarabe (Mozarabic Chapel) beneath a dome designed by El Greco's son, is the only place on earth where the ancient Arian Christian rituals of the Visigoths, dating from the 5th and 6th centuries, are still observed (Christians who were allowed to live and worship under Moorish rule were called mozarabes).
The chapel is open for these daily services in Latin and Spanish. The 16th-century octagonal Sala Capitular (chapter house), which combines Gothic, Mudejar, and Plateresque styles, has a series of paintings of Toledo's bishops and wall frescos. The Tesoro (treasury) displays the gold and silver Arfe monstrance, which is carried through the streets on the Fiesta de Corpus Christi.
Standing 10 feet high and weighing 450 pounds, this elaborate reliquary incorporates gold from Columbus's first shipload back from the Americas. The cathedral is still in use, and visitors often encounter a mass or a lavish wedding in progress. Next to the sacristy is the Capilla de Los Reyes Nuevos (New Kings' Chapel), built in the 16th century for Enrique II and containing a multitude of tombs and likenesses of Spain's kings. Open daily.
The Church of St Thomas Toledo
This unremarkable 14th-century Mudejar church, whose name is an arcaic form of Tomas, is usually crowded with visitors because of one masterpiece, El Greco's El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz (Burial of the Count of Orgaz). The famous canvas was painted some 250 years after the funeral of the count, who had funded the church's first major reconstruction. The scene is split into heaven and earth, with a row of mourners marking the divide. Their faces are portraits of prominent Toledo citizens, all in 16th-century dress.
EI Greco's own face is supposedly just above that of the young St. Stephen, and the boy in the foreground is the painter's son, Jorge. The monogram on his pocket handkerchief is El Greco's signature.
The Moors Workshop Toledo
This almost palatial 14th-century building was once used as a workshop by Moorish masons completing cathedral commissions. Displays are mostly of carpentry and tiles. The Mudejar style of the building, with its artesonados (inlaid wood ceilings) and plasterwork, is exemplary.
The El Greco House and Museum Toledo
The name is a misnomer, for El Greco never lived here, but this was his old neighborhood, and this house did belong to his landlord. Admirably restored to its 16th-century state, the house is charming due to the small scale of the furnishings, especially the tiny kitchen, and its quaint, cobbled courtyard, surrounded by a woodcarved gallery, Renaissance porticos, and intricately carved Mudejar friezes. Spectacular views of the surrounding hills, dotted with patrician villas that have changed little since El Greco's day, can be had from the southfacing balconies on the upper floor. The garden is very pleasant, and there's a fine collection of the painter's later works, particularly noteworthy for its bold portraits of the apostles.
Synagogue of the Thoroughfare Toledo
This major synagogue, built in 1366 as a palace for Samuel Halevy, treasurer to Pedro I of Castile (and later executed by him), was converted into a monastery after the expulsion of the Jews, but many of the original trappings were preserved. Rich cedar carvings grace the 39 foot high artesonado (inlaid ceiling) and the lacy Mudejar plasterwork.
Exhibits at the Museo Sefardi (Sephardic Museum) installed here include a marble pillar from the 1st or 2nd century with carved Hebrew inscriptions, alongside silver manuscript cases, robes and wedding costumes, amulets, and elaborate objects used in Jewish festivals. It takes its name from the street on which it stands.
The Santa Maria Synagogue Toledo
This architectural gem, built in 1180, was once the primary Jewish synagogue in Toledo and was later converted into a church and renamed by the Christian Knights of Calatrava (after a supposed apparition on the premises, to a stable boy, of the Madonna clothed in purest White). The facade is rather drab, but inside, white horseshoe arches and delicately carved white columns shimmer with light. The polychrome altarpIece was added in the 16th century.
Demoted in 1791 to a shelter for reformed prostitutes, then a barracks, until a general commanded its makeover into a quartermaster's warehouse and saved it from further abuse, the synagogue is now a museum and has been remarkably restored to the original splendor it had under the Almohad Moors. About a hundred feet east of the synagogue are the remains of a 14th century mikvah, or ritual bath.
The Monastery of San Juan
The outside walls of this grandiose monastery are hung with chains once worn by Christian slaves in Moorish Granada. The chains were brought here after the slaves gained their freedom in testament to a faith that fueled the final Christian victory of the Reconquista (the centuries-long reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors). Inside, the great church is done in soaring Isabeline style, and incorporates Mudejar and other Gothic touches with Renaissance art. Construction began in 1476 and wasn't completed until the early 17th century.
An important center for the Franciscan order, the monastery was originally planned as the mausoleum of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (they were actually buried in Granada). The initials F&Y (for Fernando and Ysabel) appear repeatedly throughout the building, along with the shields of Castile, Leon, and Aragon; the pomegranate of Granada; and the royal yoke and arrows motif. The Flemish architect Jan Guas designed most of the interior, with its massive round columns and the great shields supported by haloed eagles.
The Hospital of Santa Cruz Toledo
Cardinal Pedro Gonzalez de Mendoza initiated plans for this elaborate orphanage and hospital just off Plaza de Zocodover in the early 16th century, and the project was completed by Queen Isabella after his death. The building now houses the Museum of Fine Arts and the Provincial Archaeology Museum showcasing swords and scimitars, ceramics, vestments, furniture, tapestries, and paintings, including 25 by El Greco. Off the lovely Plateresque patio is an archaeology exhibit of mostly Roman finds.
A display of prehistoric items is in the basement. The intricate ceilings, lavish stairways, and spacious rooms are typical of 16th-century hospitals, where pleasant surroundings were considered vital to the cure.
Church of the Christ of the Light Toledo
Also known as the Mezquita, this minuscule mosque, perhaps intended originally as a sepulchral chamber, was built in 980 AD, and is one of the most venerable Moorish buildings on the Iberian Peninsula. Near the Puerta del Sol, it was erected on top of Visigothic ruins and later became a Mudejar church. Delicate horseshoe arches inside are supported by more ancient Visigothic capitals, and paintings in the Mudejar annex, though worn, are rare surviving examples of Toledan Romanesque art.
Cristo de la Luz is shrouded in legend; according to one, EI Cid's charger fell to its knees here during a post reconquest victory parade and refused to rise until a Visigothic crucifix, with a votive candle still flickering, was miraculously uncovered in a brickedup niche. Opening hours are erratic. No admission charge. Calle Cristo de la Luz.
Hospital de Tavera Toledo
This large 16th-century hospital located outside the city gates contains Cardinal Juan Pardo de Tavera's extensive collection of paintings and also features apartments furnished by the Duchess of Lerma in a lavish 17th-century style. The cardinal's magnificent tomb and the family crypt of the Dukes of Medinaceli are in the chapel off the double patio. Impressive portraits by Titian, including the huge Portrait of Charles V, hang in the vast dining hall, but Jose Ribera's odd Bearded Woman is stashed in a side room, camouflaged by bland cityscapes on either side. Upstairs are works by Tintoretto, Zurbaran, and, of course, El Greco, most notably his enormous last canvas, the Baptism of Christ by St. John. Open daily. Admission charge. Calle Baja.
The Roman Circus Toledo
Not much remains of the Roman arena, only a few mosaics and a reconstructed building in an open area outside the gates north of town. Still, this is a pleasant place to stroll after the cramped and twisting streets of the city, and its size hints at the strength of the Roman settlement of Toletum. Open daily. No admission charge. Off Avenida de la Reconquista.
Places to see near Toledo
South and west of Toledo, along either the C401 road or the N401 highway and the local routes branching off of them, rise the harsh uplands that were long celebrated in troubadors' couplets. Streams interlace the scrubby bush cover of rock roses, heather, and cork oaks. The area is best explored by car.
Picnickers should be aware of the wild game deer, wild boar, lynx, foxes, and even wolvesthat lives in the area, mostly in the heights. Much of the land is private hunting ground, particularly in the southern stretches near Los Yebenes, but there are prehistoric sites scattered throughout the region. The towns of Calancho, Los Navalucillos, and Hontanar all boast curious megalithic relics. Ciudad de Vascos, near Navalmoralejo, is an ancient HispanoMoorish ghost town protected by a fortress.
Odd stone boars or bulls called verracos can be seen at the castles Castillo de Bayuela and Torrecilla de La Jara, outside Talavera de la Reina. The town of Guadalerzas is spanned by an impressive late Roman aqueduct with 24 arches. One of the prettiest valleys, reached by heading west toward the higher sierra behind Guadalupe, is Robledo del Mazo, where the locals still wear traditional straw hats decorated with baubles and tiny mirrors.
Route of the Castles Toledo
The area surrounding Toledo is littered with castles, most constructed during the time of the Reconquista. About 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Toledo (local road 401) lies Guadamur, a small town dominated by a magnificent 15th-century castle that was restored in the 19th century. The rooms, occupied for a time by Queen Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad) and her son, the future Emperor Charles V, are furnished with Spanish period furniture, and can be toured on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month (for more information contact the Toledo tourism office). Leaving Guadamur and continuing south, take the first right turn toward, and then pass by, San Martin de Montalban.
The next right turn will bring you to the hamlet of Melque, which contains one of the most beautiful and least known castles in Spain, a jewel of mozarabe (MoorishChristian) architecture. The Melque castle, which also shows traces of Visigothic influence, boasts one of the largest pointed Gothic military arches ever built. Close to the castle lie the ruins of two Roman dams.
Other noteworthy monuments on this southwest circular route are the Gothic Renaissance chapel at Torrijos, the 15th century Mudejar castle at Maqueda, and the turreted edifice at Escalona on the banks of the AJberche River. Except for Guadamur, for the most part these sites are semiruins, and generally open to the public with no fixed schedule. El Greco lovers will want to head north 21 miles (34 km) on N401 to this village for a visit to the Convento deL HospitaL de La Caridad (Convent of the Hospital of Charity). The 16th-century convent contains five El Grecos, including a magnificent Coronation of the Virgin.
Traditional handicrafts in Toledo
Talavera de la Reina and Puente del Arzobispo, both traditional ceramics centers, are an easy day's excursion from Toledo via C502. Talavera is 49 miles/82 km from Toledo) and is the largest city in the province, so don't expect a quaint potter's village. The traditional pottery here features multicolor designs; browse along the main street, where vendors sell shelf after shelf of platters, vases, and bowls. On the fringes of the city, just past the main park, is the Ermita de la Virgen del Prado (Hermitage of the Madonna of the Meadow), a showcase for the famous azulejos, distinctive blue and yellow glazed picture tiles, which date back to the 14th century and were the preferred decorations for the finest palaces and monasteries.
To reach Puente del Arzobispo, popular for its more subdued, green-toned pottery, drive west from Talavera on the NY highway to Oropesa, then south for 9 miles [14 km) to a fortified bridge across the Rio Tajo (Tagus River). Shops and vendors in the village sell ceramics for less than the equivalent items would cost in Toledo, but since quality here is consistently high, there are no astonishingly inexpensive wares. Yaldeverdeja, a smaller and prettier village, lies just 4.5 miles (7 km) to the west and sells distinctive unglazed red earthenware. Farther west on the NY highway, just past Oropesa, is a turnoff to Lagartera, the village where the best La Mancha embroidery originates.
Special events in Toledo
Holy Week
Semana Santa (Holy Week), preceding Pascua (Easter), has subdued beauty in Toledo; especially moving is the Procesion del Silencio (Procession of Silence), which winds through the streets On Viernes Santo (Good Friday). A more boisterous procession the carrying of the Virgen del Valle (Madonna of the Valley) around the hillsides near her hermitage on the far side of the river occurs during the local Romerfa, on Primero de Mayo (May Day, the first of the month) afternoon. Enormous excitement is unleashed for the Fiesta de (Feast of) Corpus Christi (June), when the townspeople dress up in folk costumes and the precious Arfe monstrance from the cathedral treasury is carried through the city streets.
This has been Toledo's ultimate celebration for eight centuries; it takes place on the Thursday of the ninth week after Easter. Check with the tourist office for full details and the traditional parade route. Fireworks light the August skies during the Fiesta de la Virgen del Sagrario (Feast of the Madonna of the Shrine), held annually in August.
Labels: Car hire in Toledo, Special places to go in Toledo, What to see in Toledo
posted by Fay at
5:52 AM
1 Comments:
Toledo is a gorgeous city, we stayed spend a couple of days in one of the luxurious hotels in Toledo and it was indeed great experience. I wish I had read the post before we went to Toledo we missed a couple of the places you are mentioning :(
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