Castile and Leon are the largest of the communities that make up Spain. It is located in the central part of the country and surrounds the capital Madrid from the north and west. It is a region with a huge accumulation of top-class monuments, including great cities of Segovia, Leon, Salamanca or Burgos.
The merger of the kingdoms of Castile and Leon in 1320 gave rise to a reconquest on the Iberian Peninsula. It soon became the center of a thriving Spanish state that conquered a large part of the newly discovered areas in America.
Its cities, castles and villages grow out of Castile's harsh, sun-burnt landscape. The most interesting of them include Segovia, with a Roman aqueduct, Alcazar and a gothic cathedral, surrounded by defensive walls of Avila and often considered one of the most beautiful Spanish cities of Salamanca.
In the province of Leon, the town of the same name with a powerful Gothic cathedral, Ponferrada with the Templar castle, as well as the UNESCO-listed village of Las Medulas with the remains of Roman gold mines deserves attention. Around it are eroded, red rock outliers, in which underground corridors were bored in the past.
The capital of the region, Valladolid, although less attractive in terms of monuments is known for its traditions and fiestas. Some of the most spectacular celebrations of Holy Week take place here, and penitential processions pass through the streets, between which platforms ride with scenes of the Passion.
