AVILA, CASTILLE LEON

Ávila is a province of central-western Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Toledo, Cáceres, Salamanca, Valladolid, Segovia, and Madrid. Avila is very close and with very good comunication with the capital, Madrid, you can go by Cercanias (a kind of train) just in 1 hour and for around 8 euros. The capital of the province is Avila as well and it's so beautiful, in adiction my mother born in Avila province so I have a special feeling for Avila.

Ávila has a population of 165,138 (2002). Its capital is Ávila. Pico Almanzor is the highest in the province.

Ávila de los Caballeros (Latin: Abila and Óbila) is the capital of the province of the same name, now part of the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain

The city is 1117 meters (3665 feet) above sea level, the highest provincial capital in Spain. It is built on the flat summit of a rocky hill, which rises abruptly in the midst of a veritable wilderness: a brown, arid, treeless table-land, strewn with immense grey boulders, and shut in by lofty mountains. This results in an extreme climate, with very hard and long winters, and short summers.

Ávila is most known for the medieval city walls , that were constructed of brown granite in 1090: surmounted by a breastwork, with eighty-eight towers and nine gateways, they are still in excellent repair, but a large part of the city lies beyond their perimeter. The Gothic cathedral is integrated into the city's defences. It was built between the 12th and 14th centuries, and has the appearance of a fortress, with embattled walls and two solid towers. It contains many interesting sculptures and paintings, besides one especially fine silver pyx, the work of Juán de Arfe, dating from 1571.

The churches of San Vicente, San Pedro and San Segundo are, in their main features, Romanesque of the 12th century. In the Gothic Monastery of Santo Tomás, erected by the Catholic Queen Isabella in 1482, is especially noteworthy the marble monument, carved by the 15th-century Florentine sculptor Domenico Fancelli, over the tomb of Prince John, the only son of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Map of Avila:

You have read this article with the title AVILA, CASTILLE LEON. You can bookmark this page URL http://oinsweden.blogspot.com/2008/12/avila-castille-leon.html. Thanks!

Write by: AN - Monday, December 15, 2008