Puebla de Sanabria - Medieval Old Town

I think this historic town deserves a page to itself. Especially as all the signs are in Spanish and English.
The town was taken over in 1451 by the Fourth Count of Benavente and his wife, Countess Maria de Pacheco.
They built the castle and Countess Maria ‘concluded that together they built the town’ - which they probably did in the sense that I imagine it might have been a rather ‘insignificant’ village before the Count and Countess came and put their mark on it.
This region is situated quite close to Portugal so the Count and Countess had to be prepared to defend their territory.
As I was exploring the castle and surrounds I came across (dare I say) a ‘trendy’ Bar/Cafe. Of course I stopped. I’ve been ‘roughing’ it for quite a a while now. So I got a vino and wedges with sauce and sour cream. I must say the wine was excellent and the wedges were perfect.
This medieval town is exquisite. It’s like a huge outdoor museum. As well as the castle, walls and defence structures (like the watch tower) there is a large church and a smaller chapel. The surrounding buildings have been well restored and the work is ongoing. All the important buildings are named and explained.
I always wonder who actually lives in these places now. Are they for some sort of elite or are some of the old time residents still around.
My wander around the narrow and twisting streets has been one of the highlights of this Camino - partly because it was unexpected and partly because the old town felt really accessible.Read more