Route in Soria: a 7-stop itinerary through medieval towns

Soria is a lesser known region in Spain with beautiful landscapes, quaint towns and a great gastronomy. Follow this amazing route in Soria through a region called La Frontera del Duero (The border of river Duero), a region of great historical meaning for Spain, but long forgotten by tourism. It was the physical border between the caliphate of Al-Andalus and the Catholic realms, so it is very rich in muslim fortifications despite the small size of the towns. The region has a very Castilian landscape, with vast plains of green and yellow and little mounts invariably topped with a castle. Dive in to discover this fantastic route in Soria and get in a time machine to Spain’s history. I typically start this route from my home in Calatayud, but it can easily be done from Soria or even Madrid.

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1. Calatañazor

Calatañazor is a tiny little village that has remained frozen in the Middle Age. The Arabic origin of the name, Qal’at an-Nusur, in a similar way to Calatayud , means Citadel of Vultures, and the name cannot be more fitting, since it is common to see these animals flying close to the roofs of the town-on-a-crag and the sound of their flapping echoes through the streets. The stone houses with Sabina (Spanish juniper) framework, the cobblestone streets and the Mozarabic details remaining in several buildings make of Calatañazor the perfect representative time capsule of the region, going back to the Middle Age, in times of the Arabic realms and the reconquest (around the XI and XII centuries).

The tiny town of Calatañazor

2. Burgo de Osma

Burgo de Osma is a town divided in two: Burgo de Osma and Ciudad de Osma. The first one was built around the Cathedral, constructed during the reconquest. The second one was built around the castle. Burgo de Osma is actually built near a Celtiberian and later Roman settlement (Uxama), it became a village during the reconquest but it gained its baroque style during the XVIII century. It is currently the third largest town in the province, being the largest by far in this route (there is only 5,250 people living there, so don’t imagine a metropolis).

The Cathedral square in Burgo de Osma

3. Castillo de Gormaz

On the outskirts of the town of Gormaz, the castle of Gormaz rises on top of a hill, overlooking the Castilian fields, with forgotten grandieur. It was built in the X century to protect the borders of the Caliphate of Córdoba from the Christian Kingdoms to the north. At the time of its construction, it was the largest fortress ever built in Europe and, to this day, it still remains the largest caliph structure in European land. While many structures were refurbished by the Christians after the reconquests, some Arabic elements still remain, such as the horseshoe arch gate, a great homage tower of mudéjar style used to collect rainwater or the Tower of Almanzor, who retook and ruled the fortress until its definitive reconquest in 1060 A.D.

Fun fact: after the reconquest on the 11th century, the King Alfonso VI gave the fortress to the Spanish folk hero and national icon El Cid. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was a Castilian knight under the role of King Fernando I and his son, Sancho II of Castille. He soon became renowned for his military prowess in expanding the Kingdom of Castille at the expense of the Muslim Kindom of Al-Andalus (the reconquest) and Sancho’s brothers’ kingdoms. After Sancho’s death, his brother Alfonso VI exiled El Cid, who then went on to serve the Muslim rulers of Zaragoza agains Christian and other Muslim enemies. Eventually, King Alfonso VI conceded to allow El Cid to return, giving him a great reward, probably including the Castle of Gormaz. Later on El Cid went on to conquer the kingdom-city of Valencia on his own, which he ruled with his wife Jimena Díaz, and his descendents went on to become Kings of Navarre. After his death, El Cid was celebrated as a national hero and became the protagonist of the most known medieval Spanish epic poem El Cantar del mio Cid, which depicts him as the ideal knight: strong, valiant, loyal, just and pious.

Views of the Castilian fields from the Castle of Gormaz

4. Berlanga de Duero

The town of Berlanga de Duero gives name to the region and it is considered one of the most beautiful towns in the province. The town is basically a castle on top of a hill, which was originally Arabic, even though the structure was later modified by the Christians during the reconquest. In the XVI century, worried about a possible war with the French, the governing Tovar family decided to radically improve the town’s defences, which led to the magnificent fortifications that now surround the town.

The castle and walls at Berlanga de Duero

5. Ermita de San Baudelio de Berlanga

This stop is not a town, but a small hermitage located 10 km outside of Berlanga de Duero. Considered the Sixtine Chapel of the Mozarabic art, this hermitage is the pictorial representation of the fusion of cultures that happened in Spain. The Mozarabic people were christians that retained their religion under islamic rule, but integrated aspects of islamic culture into their lives. The chapel, which is centered on a single pillar, contains fresh paintings that drop from the ceiling like waterfalls, depicting together biblical images as well as Arabic-inspired images, such as elephants carrying castles or camels. This visit is a great way to understand the mixture of cultures that took place in Spain during the Middle Age.

The mozarabic paintings at Capilla de San Baudelio

6. Rello

Rello, as many in this list as it was fashionable during medieval times, is a fortified village located on top of a hill next to a river (Escalote). Unlike other entries in this list, the origin and history of this town is less clear, but that does not take away the amazing sensation of walking through its cobble stone narrow streets. This is probably the lesser known town in this route, but not less stunning.

Photo credit: hiwhataboutyou? with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

7. Medinaceli

Medinaceli is the final stop of this route in Soria, and it is one of the most charming locations. This Celtiberian-then-Roman-then-Muslim-then-Castilian town is located on top of a high hill that offers views to the valley of the Jalón river, witch offers views that are less of the Castilian fields and more of an Aragonese environment. In fact, the town’s name is a proof of the multi-cultural origin of this town. It comes from Arabic medina (town) and the Celt okelis (hill).

The beautiful streets of Medinaceli

Following the story of Almanzor, the Muslim caliph that was injured in our first stop, Calatañazor, the story tells that he retrieved all the way to Medinaceli, were he died in the alcazaba (the keep). This was the moment when the balance of the war tilted towards the Catholic realms.

The 2000 year-old arch at Medinaceli

Route in Soria

This route in Soria is fantastic to understand Spain’s past and a perfect way to avoid the crowds at more popular cities such as Barcelona or Madrid. It can easily be done within a day, but since these are not very known towns, it is hard to get by without a car. If you want to rent a car for your trip have a look here. When I follow this route I usually start from my house in Calatayud, but there are plenty of wonderful accommodations in the region to spend the night, so have a look at the individual posts for each town or at the map below:

Booking.com

Also, if you liked this post, you’ll probably like this one as well:

→ What to do in Calatayud: the forgotten half-blood city of Spain

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