Tour departs from Madrid
Day 1
Avila
Arrival to Madrid and drive to Ávila
AVILA. WALKING TOUR
Avila, a fortified city situated on an hilltop in the heart of Castile, is best known as the birthplace of Santa Teresa and for the impressive medieval walls, the oldest and best preserved in Spain. A visit will be made to the Convent of Santa Teresa, built on the site where the Saint was born, the old jewish quarter, the Royal Monastery of Santo Tomas, founded by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel and the Romanesque and Gothic Cathedral.
Day 2
Salamanca
Drive to Salamanca
SALAMANCA. WALKING TOUR
Calle Zamora leads from St Mark's to the Plaza Mayor, one of Salamanca's jewels and one of the of the most important main squares in Spain, arcaded in the Churrigueresque Baroque style. The so-called Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells), the Renaissance façade of which is adorned with more than 300 pilgrim shells (the symbol of the order that protected the pilgims' road to Santiago de Compostela. The palaces of Salina, Orellana and Anaya and the University of Salamanca, the New Cathedral and the Old Cathedral.
Day 3
Valladolid
Drive to Valladolid with stop in Tordesillas.
TORDESILLAS. CITY TOUR
The Royal Monastery of Santa Clara, a palace built by King Alfonso XI in 1350 and converted into a convent by his son, Pedro I the Cruel. Declared to be a site of Cultural Interest. Outstanding among the ecclesiastical buildings are the church-museum of San Antolín, declared to be a site of Cultural Interest in 1998 and the Casas del Tratado (houses of the treaty), also declared to be a site of Cultural Interest, which are two adjoining palaces that received this name because it was here the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed in 1494, by which Spain and Portugal established the division of the territories which were being colonized in the New World.
VALLADOLID. CITY TOUR
The today's capital of Castella-León preserves an important heritage of monuments in its old quarter, such as the Cathedral. The architect Juan de Herrera was commissioned by King Felipe II to design the original scheme in the 16th century. Other interesting churches are the Gothic church of Santiago, and the church of Santa María la Antigua, with its unusual pyramid-shaped Romanesque tower. The 16th-century Plaza Mayor, The Palace of Los Pimentel, today the seat of the Provincial Council, is one of the most important, as King Philip II was born in it on 21 May 1527.
Day 4
Peñafiel
Drive to Peñafiel and Valbuena de Duero.
Peñafiel was fortified in 1307, the town was once a commercial and historic centre. Its famous castle, declared to be a National Monument, sits on a hill and it is a very well-preserved fortress. It is flanked by two courtyards: one to the north, which contains the underground reservoirs and the store rooms, and one to the south, which currently houses the Provincial Wine Museum and was the site of the stables and guards' quarters. The Museum has a space of Permanent Exhibition that will serve as introduction to the world of the wine and other spaces like Room of Tastings, Exhibition hall, Store and Library that allow all type of activities surroundings to the world of the wine. Other than the castle, the most important building in Peñafiel is the church of San Pablo, in Gothic-Mudejar architecture.
The Vega Sicilia Wine Cellar is located in Valbuena de Duero. The estate has a plantation of 250 hectares of vineyards. The winery conserves its sober appearance of a Castilian mansion. Its façade is made of brick, and has a monastic air. Inside, there is a chapel, which was built by the first owners and has the name of Santa Cecilia. Vega Sicilia is unquestionably a unique wine, and one of the great Spanish classics. Its personality not only comes from the maximum quality of the grape and the rigour involved in its manufacture, but also, and above all, from the care for detail that the Álvarez family has succeeded in transmitting to the wines.
Day 5
Peñafiel
Drive to Pesquera de Duero y Aranda de Duero.
Hacienda Monasterio Wine Cellar is situated in Pesquera de Duero. The estate is located in the valley of the Duero River, half way between Pesquera and Valbuena de Duero, in what is known as the Golden Mile. The estate covers 160 hectares, 78 of wich are planted with vines. The vineyard is located on a north-south facing slope, which is a strategic place for the proper growth and maturing of the grapes.
Wine Cellar and Vineyards Martín Berdugo located in Aranda de Duero. The wine cellar buildings are at the forefront of modern winery architecture in the Ribera del Duero. Built by the architects Vicky Daroca and María Viñé, it was awarded the prize for the best European wine cellar design. It is a family run winery in the heart of the Ribera del Duero.
Aranda de Duero town lived a flourishing period under the rule of Enrique IV, in the late 15th century. The Isabelline-Gothic church of Santa María, the Palace of Verdugo, the church of San Juan Bautista, site of the Aranda Council, the Romanesque bridge, the Palace of Colmenares and numerous ancestral homes.
Day 6
Peñafiel
Departure from Peñafiel.
