Toro

Following a scrumptious breakfast at Las Claras we headed off to the town of Toro. Toro is in the province of Zamora and is located on a fertile high plain, northwest of Madrid. It is known as a centre of Mudéjar (Moorish) art and as a wine-producing region. It is located on the Duero River.

Toro is an ancient town - it was conquered by Hannibal in 220 BC. The Roman town was called Albucella and it is thought that the modern name may derive from the bull totem of the Celts who inhabited the central and northeastern Iberian Peninsula during the final centuries BCE. In the 8th century it was conquered by the Moors and in about 910 after the Muslims started to leave, Alfonso III started repopulating the town.

Today was a public holiday in Spain - Hispania Day - which commemorates when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas in 1492. The town of Toro was celebrating with a four day medieval market in the old town. The market stalls were being set up as we arrived and the town looked very festive as it was decorated in colourful bunting and ribbons.

Gabriele took us on an orientation tour of the old city. We passed through the Torre del Reloj (clock tower) and walked through the Main Street, which is beautifully preserved. We visited the Colegiata de Santa María La Mayor, a medieval church that was built in 1170 and is dedicated to Saint Mary the Great. It has a tower and a very impressive internal tympanum.

We then had some free time to explore the town, have a coffee and look at the market stalls before heading off for a wine tasting.Читать далее