Jedinstveni spoj prirode i arhitekture A unique fusion of nature and architecture
S egovia is among the locations you shouldn’t overlook if you’re holiday- ing in the Spanish capital. There are several departures from Chamartín station at various prices, but just a 30-min- ute journey by high-speed train will take you to this beautiful city – which has forti- cations and an aqueduct that have been declared UNESCO cultural heritage sites. Segovia is known worldwide precisely for its aforementioned aqueduct, which is a huge Roman structure designed to car- ry water from the spring of Fuenfría, which is located on a nearby hillside some 17 km from the city. Built at the beginning of the 2 nd century AD, towards the end of the reign of Emperor Trajan or the beginning of Had- rian’s reign, its most visible parts, and there- fore most famous, are the arches intersect- ing Asogeho Square, the city’s central spot. If you traverse Calle Real Street, the commercial heart of Segovia, which leads directly to Plaza Mayor and the cathedral, and prior to that visit the Old Main Syna- gogue and the famous Alcázar fortress in Segovia, which will appear to you like a fairy- tale hilltop castle. And you will be seeing it right: it was this actual fortress that provid- ed the inspiration for Disney’s castle in the Oscar-winning animated lm Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The city’s culinary o er won’t leave you feeling indi erent either: try the local pork roast, Sepúlveda-style cod or beans from La Granja. If you want to snack and sample typical tapas portions, that’s at least easy: look for the famous “street bars” or seek a recommendation from one of the friendly waiters on the main square. If you are in- terested in the local historical heritage, the Monastery of Santa Maria del Parral (Mon- asterio del Parral) o ers free guided tours,
Founded in 1944, thanks to the e orts of Cardinal Cisneros, today – apart from being a tourist attraction – it is the place where one of the most prestigious awards for literature in Spanish, the Cervantes Prize, is awarded. When it comes to the culinary o er, here Don Quixote is also the inspiration for the most popular dishes. It is also impor- tant to note that Alcalá de Henares hosts a Gastronomic Week every February, and the popular festival Ruta de las Tapas o las Jornadas Gastronómicas Cervantinas (Ta- pas Route or the Cervantes Gastronomic Days) is held during the time of patron saint celebrations. Finally, the Corral de Comedias or the Corral de los Zapateros, the so-called theatre courtyard, represents a unique building as the oldest preserved structure of its kind in Spain. Important elements of its construc- tion have been preserved that testify to the centuries of its operation: it operated as a theatre courtyard from 1601, as a covered coliseum as of 1785, as a Roman theatre in 1830, and a cinema hall until the 1970s. It today o ers a full programme of theater performances and is open to tourist visits. CUENCA A unique fusion of nature and archi- tecture makes Cuenca another must-see place for those seeking to escape Madrid. The city is actually “carved” out of the Ser- ranía Conquense (Cuenca mountain range), is located less than an hour’s drive from Ma- drid and represents another pearl of Spain. The hanging houses (Las casas colgadas) above the gorge of the river Huécar com- pose a recognisable symbol of the city. Built of stone, their balconies appear to hang over the edge of a cli . This city lled with contrasts has some of the best collections of painted art from the second half of the 20 th century, while Cuenca also boasts a delicious and varied cuisine with a tradition dating back centuries (make sure to visit the taverns of San Fran- cisco Street), as well as treasures of nature and magical landscapes that seduce tourists. The Cuenca Museum of Spanish Ab- stract Art (Museo de Arte Abstracto Es- pañol de Cuenca) preserves and exhibits paintings and sculptures within its perma- nent exhibition that are works of Spanish artists from the generation of abstract cre- ators (1950s and‘60s) who initiated some of the most signi cant abstract art tenden- cies of Spanish art during the second half of the twentieth century.
during which you will receive a real lesson in art history. ALCALA DE HENARES Alcalá de Henares is a city that’s name means“castle on the river Henares”. It is lo- cated northeast of Madrid, just 30 kilometres from the capital, and, yes, it is the birthplace of writer Miguel Cervantes. With its unusual pillars and vaulted ceilings, its main street, Calle Mayor, leads to the city’s three most beautiful monuments: the Museo Casa de Cervantes – Cervantes birth-house museum, the Cathedral of St Justus and St Pastor and the Convent of the Clarisas de San Diego. You will be able to discover what the houses of Spain’s Golden Age looked like by visiting the beautifully arranged Memorial House of Miguel de Cervantes, where you can walk through the rooms in which the author of one of the greatest titles in world literature, Don Quixote, grew up. The Uni- versity of Alcalá deserves special mention.
Viseće kuće, nad klisurom reke Uekar, čine prepoznatljivi simbol Kuenke The hanging houses above the gorge of the river Huécar compose
a recognisable symbol of the Cuenca
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