Segovia

The old city has a spectacular situation on top of a long ridge, apparently highest at the west where the Alcázar looks out over the neighbouring countryside (actually highest where the cathedral stands). You will probably begin your visit at the Plaza Mayor, though, where the bus from the train or bus station will leave you, or somewhere near the aqueduct if you walk or drive in. Either way, you will soon find yourself in winding streets with enough charm to them that it doesn't really matter if you don't see anything very specific. But you might as well, and apart from Segovia's major sights, it has lots of churches, including the church of Corpus Christ, originally a synagogue, and the fascinating Vera Cruz outside the city walls, built by the Knights Templar and thoroughly esoteric.

History. Although Segovia was populated by the Celtiberians and evidently by the Romans, the fact that neither Visigoths nor Moors left any mark on the city leads some to maintain that it was abandoned after the Moorish conquest of Spain and only repopulated as part of the reconquista, towards the end of the 11th century. Segovia is particularly rich in Romanesque architecture, but the 13th and especially 14th centuries were its moment of greatest prosperity and splendour, a time which came to an end a little abruptly in 1521 with the unsuccessful popular uprising of the Comuneros, led in Segovia by Juan Bravo. Equally importantly, the economic centre of gravity in Spain had already shifted south towards Seville, and Segovia entered the decline which explains its excellent state of conservation. Today, if not for the thousands of tourists it attracts and its world heritage status, it would be little more than a market town, a provincial capital with less than 60,000 inhabitants.

Roman Aqueduct. The local legend says that the aqueduct was put there overnight by the devil, because of a young Segovian girl who was so tired of fetching water from the river that she sold her soul to him in exchange. It is Segovia's most emblematic monument (literally: it is the main element of the city's coat of arms) and the most important example of Roman civil engineering in Spain, it was built to bring water from the Rio Frio high in the sierra. No-one knows exactly when it was constructed, though the consensus is the first century A.D. when Trajan was emperor. The most unbelievable thing about it, especially when you are looking up at it (we are talking about the famous bit, where it crosses the Plaza de Azoguejo), is that no binder holds it together, no cement, no mortar, nothing: its entire 800 m length and going on for 30 m height has stood for nearly two thousand years purely because it was well built (it is no wonder mediaeval Segovians thought this was supernatural). You can get a good view of the aqueduct from above by climbing the steps to its west.

Alcázar. Dating from at least the twelfth century, but remodelled, enlarged, burnt down and rebuilt over and over again, the last time in the eighteen sixties, the Alcázar of Segovia is instantly recognizable, having served as the inspiration for the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty castle. Isabel the Catholic was living here when she was proclaimed queen, and received Christopher Columbus here to promise funding for his transatlantic adventure.

Cathedral. Segovia's cathedral is tucked away in a corner of the Plaza Mayor. It was built to replace a Romanesque one which burnt down in 1520 during the Comuneros War. Work started on the current cathedral in 1525, so the style is extremely late Gothic, the latest in Spain, if not Europe. It is very big, without being overly imposing, and is light in colour, which may be why it is called the "Dame" of Spanish cathedrals.

Segovia Mint. The "oldest industrial building still standing in Spain and one of the oldest mechanized manufacturing plants still remaining in the world." Not especially well kept, but an interesting visit, even if you can't go inside. If you can, the most curious part is the odd romantic garden and gazebo with its fishing balcony.

Practical Segovia

Eating and Drinking. Segovia has lots of restaurants, but there is no doubt that the place to eat is Mesón de Cándido, under the arches of the aqueduct. It is not cheap, but it is good value for money and if you only intend to splash out on one meal while you are in Spain, this would be a good place to do it. Segovia's speciality is Castilian roast meats, especially lechazo, suckling lamb, and even more so, cochinillo suckling pig, slow-roasted until you can cut it with a plate. Other Segovian dishes of interest include sopa castellana, a garlic and bread soup widely available in Spain but at its best here, judias con liebre, white beans stewed with hare, or Segovian trucha, trout. Less expectedly, Segovian cuisine also includes some interesting desserts, particularly a thing called ponche segoviano which will make you feel as if your fillings were dropping out.

In terms of wine, Old Castile has two important denominaciones de origen which include a part of Segovia. Rueda normally denotes a white wine, often light and fresh to drink. Ribera del Duero produces wines of all colours, but the best are reds, which may be drunk young or mature, in which case they are fairly heavy. Another wine-producing place in Segovia is Valtiendas, known for its reds.

Getting There. By bus: La Sepulvedana operates the Madrid-Segovia line, several buses a day departing from Madrid-Florida bus station. Check the timetables, some are fairly direct, but most take hours because they go all round the houses. By train: Renfe runs a train to Segovia every one or two hours, depending on the time of day, departing from Madrid-Atocha. They are all slow trains and take at least two hours. By road. Take the A6 and the AP6 toll road if you are in a hurry, or slip off onto the NVI if you are in economy mode. Either way, it shouldn't take you much more than an hour.

Elsewhere on the Net - Selected Links

Mesón de Candido
Candido's is probably the best known of all Spanish restaurants. Famous especially for its Castilian roast meats - suckling pig, lamb and kid, slow-roasted until it can be cut with a thick plate - it has, in Frommer's words, "fed, over the years, everybody from Hemingway to Nixon."

Segovia
The municipal site has tons of good stuff related with both the city and province, but is, unfortunately, in Spanish only.

Visit Segovia - by Friends of the Segovia Mint Best of the Net
Here is a curiosity. Apparently, the Royal Mill Mint is "considered to be the oldest industrial building still standing in Spain and one of the oldest mechanized manufacturing plants still remaining in the world." And this site is as good a presentation of the sights of Segovia as you could hope to find.