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Toledo
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Despite its reputation as one of Spain's greatest cities,
TOLEDO
can, in some ways, be a bit of a disappointment. Certainly, it's a city redolent of past glories, and is packed with sights - hence the whole city's status as a National Monument and UNESCO Patrimony of Mankind - but the extraordinary number of day-trippers has taken the edge off what was once the most extravagant of Spanish experiences. Still, the setting is breathtaking, and if you're an
El Greco
fan, you'd be mad to miss this city.
In a landscape of abrasive desolation, Toledo sits on a rocky mound isolated on three sides by a looping gorge of the Rio Tajo. Every available inch of this outcrop has been built upon: churches, synagogues, mosques and houses are heaped upon one another in a haphazard spiral which the cobbled lanes infiltrate as best they can. To see Toledo at its best, you'll need to stay at least a night: a day-trip will leave you hard pressed to see everything. More importantly, in the evening with the crowds gone and the city lit up by floodlights - resembling one of El Greco's moonlit paintings - Toledo is a different place entirely.
Toledo also hosts one of the most extravagant celebrations of
Corpus Christi
in the country, with street processions and all the works. Other local festivals take place on May 25 and August 15 and 20. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Spain,
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