Avila: legendary walls, Stone Pages
From the Teso del Carmen, north of the canvas wall Avila looks rough, meadows of childhood escapades and hiking trails in autumn. The meticulous restoration work has been polished to the stone, now leans too slender, too perfect. Faced with such fanfare aesthetic, I always seduces the counterpoint of imperfection. So this part of the wall is, certainly, my favorite. Almost at odds with the popular Puerta del Alcázar, Carmen of the river overlooking the Adaja with diminished presence: the only wall still standing in the former convent of Carmen. The steeple rises, lonely and nostalgic, above the fortification, as to resist the memory of what was disappear altogether. Their bells stopped tolling centuries, but flipping the facade are the echoes of history.
The same applies to the mile and a half of wall, that account for the history of Ávila even before the construction of the defensive perimeter, passes for (Restoration work outside) Christian the only military facility in Europe that is preserved as it was built. Among its masonry walls are the remains of a Roman necropolis and even traces of previous inhabitants of Celtic origin, Vetoni. More than a wall, it is a real open book, a book of stone pages.
More than a wall, it is a real open book, a book of stone pages
From the Puerta del Carmen (another advantage of starting here the route is that it is easier to park on the slope of the road near the old round), we can begin to circumvent the walls for the ride, passing successively through the doors Mariscal and San Vicente, or stroll in the direction of the cathedral and the Butchers next door, on the canvas east of the fortification. The latter choice will lead to Market Square Chico, where outsiders alcabaleros charged the tax by selling their goods within the enclosure. Do not forget that, although the walls were erected by order of Alfonso VI after successive conquests and reconquests, also had the function of protecting the city from epidemics and regulate the entry of goods.
Together with the Butchers Gate is the visitor center, where you can buy tickets to tour a section of the wall aldarve, sentinel feeling for a few minutes and enjoy the excellent views of the city. A little further down, after the row of restaurants and bakeries (do not forget a stop to taste the yolks popular Santa Teresa), busiest point of the wall, Puerta del Alcázar. In front of her, across the Great Market Square, the Church of St. Peter, First Parish of Avila. And just steps, the sculpture of St. Teresa, as if to appease the swing with his worldly mysticism of the city.
We walked along the Paseo del Rastro pedestrian, where the wall emerges from the rock where children play perching on the rocks
The wall custody their own stories. They say that in the twelfth century, absent the garrison defending Avila by a skirmish in the port of Menga, was elected governor the mayor's wife, Jimena Blázquez. The Muslims used the situation to attack the city. The help could not arrive on time and the new councilor ordered the women to dress in clothes of the soldiers and be distributed, tea in hand, the battlements sounding the trumpets and lavishing in howls. The attacking troops were thought better and gave up besieging the city. Since then, at Avila were allowed to participate in municipal councils.
Continuing east, The unmistakable silhouette of Monastery of Our Lady of Grace and, just beyond, the church of Santiago, pedestrian walk along the Paseo del Rastro, where the wall emerges from the rock where children play climbing the stones as they surely did their parents and parents of parents. The stone fence in this section demonstrates his perfect symbiosis with the land. This is not as high. Not required, to benefit from the escarpment. At the end of the ride, which hosts a weekly market, was the old slaughterhouse, from which the meat was loaded for distribution at Butchers Gate. The traveler can imagine the effort of the boys, ribs to the back, uphill carrying meat with the wall as a silent witness.
Across the river is one of the privileged vantage of the city, that of the four studs, ancient shrine
At the Gate Trail, approach the gazebo and gardens located opposite to rest before the walk, ride down, achieve Puerta de Santa Teresa, where the convent of the universal mystical, to be missed. Again extramural, traverse the southern stretch of the wall, where the Gate Malaventura, where the Jews were expelled, is a metaphor for Spain at the time.
The trail descends now more and more pronounced towards the river and its Roman bridge Aldaja. A flight of steps accommodates the passage. This is, certainly, the less crowded area. Across the river is one of the privileged vantage of the city, that of the four studs, ancient shrine. In Avila, devotion and contemplation go hand in hand.
In the belfry of the convent of Carmen back to the view, repechar touch the treasures of Carmen leaving the comfort of the sidewalk. Left, the new Congress seems to defy, with its modern design, the sobriety of the walls, on which now stops dusk light. Avila Avila seems now more than ever the Knights. There remains the Night Tour, with illuminated wall. On another occasion will.
Comments (1)
mayte
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Interesting! produces like going for a walk in its streets, and lost in its tracks, stairs, viewpoints…
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