Cáceres, with about 97,000 inhabitants, is the capital of Spain's largest province, in Extremadura. Its walled old town is one of Europe's best-preserved medieval and Renaissance ensembles and a UNESCO site since 1986. Its atmosphere has made it a set for films and Game of Thrones.
History
Founded by the Romans as Norba Caesarina, it later became the Muslim fortress of Qazris, which gave it its name. Finally taken in 1229, it was divided among noble families who vied for power by building tower-houses. To end the feuds, in 1477 Isabella the Catholic ordered the towers lowered: only one survived intact, that of the Cáceres-Ovando family, the Torre de las Cigüeñas. In the 16th century wealth from the Americas paid for new palaces.
What to see
- The arcaded Plaza Mayor and the Arco de la Estrella, the old town's main gate.
- The Bujaco tower, an Almohad tower with an interpretation centre and views over the square.
- The Gothic co-cathedral of Santa María, with its cedar altarpiece.
- The Palacio de los Golfines de Abajo, with its plateresque façade, and the Casa de los Toledo-Moctezuma, linked to the descendants of the Aztec emperor.
- Plaza de San Jorge, with the Jesuit church, and Plaza de San Mateo.
- The Cáceres Museum, in the Palacio de las Veletas, with the great underground Arab cistern.
- The old Jewish quarter and the San Antonio district.
- The storks, nesting on towers and bell towers.
Festivals and food
In late April the San Jorge festival features a dragon and a battle between Christians and Muslims. Food: Torta del Casar, the creamy sheep's cheese eaten with a spoon, Iberian ham, migas, lamb caldereta and cochifrito.
Around and getting there
Trujillo, Monfragüe National Park, Mérida and the monastery of Guadalupe. Cáceres has trains to Madrid, in about three and a half hours, and buses to Seville and Salamanca. See also Badajoz.