Moving on to Avila

We left Segovia this morning and took a detour to see a 15C castle an hour away in Coca. It was built in 1478 by an archbishop using Arab craftsmen and so much of it is Mudejar style with geometric painting and tiles. It is also unusual in that it was built of brick rather than stone. It was pretty derelict until a few decades ago but has now been partly restored to use as a forestry college. Coca was also a Roman site and had mediaeval walls.
After lunch we arrived in Avila where the main attraction is the complete circuit of walls built between 1090 and 1099.They are truly spectacular and we plan to walk along then tomorrow. We are staying in a little hotel in a 15C building just inside the walls and can just see the top from our window.Read more