: Noble, Bold and Haughty

“...between her green cliffs and valleys were solemn oak groves in repose, and every so often, cork trees showed their naked trunks...”

(Miguel de Unamuno)

A lthough it cannot be entirely proven, Plasencia was likely born LASENCIA under the protection of her geographical surroundings, P And Its Parador fortuitously but intelligently defended by her own preferences. Some two centuries before our era, it was a fortified town. Little more than a camp, it soon became Roman, and then “Romanized.” The invading legions designed strategic routes to travel the peninsula. The Via de la Plata road passed though this area, to its benefit. This route continues to cross the Iberian Peninsula from north to south like a backbone. It is still known as the “frontier of Portugal,” a living memory of past centuries.

The imperial legions had many reasons for designing a well laid-out network of roads (covering close to 30,000 kilometers) to establish stopping places and inns in the most strategic spots. The Via de la Plata would be one the most profitable and well-used routes in the empire. From southern Huelva continuous caravans departed for and Galicia, laden down with slaves and military equipment. Some went in search of the silver and gold which the mountains and rivers offered in such abundant quantities that they could easily supply the immense empire’s huge demands.

In passing, the new foreign neighbors sowed these and other many lands with welcome cultures, technologies, new and better ways and customs, arts and handicrafts, laws, and engineering developments. They razed Iberian settlements and destroyed Celtic forts, but they also built towns and cities. They invented aqueducts, designed circuses and amphitheaters, and implemented the lex romana, from which the Western world still continues to derive great benefit today. In short, they invented what is now known as Western culture, which has long flowed through this lovely, surprising, proud, and noble Extremaduran city: the universal town of Plasencia.

An indication of this can be seen in the coat of arms of these eccentric, intelligent, surprising, generous and delightful landscapes and people, where the motto is simply stated for all eternity: “Ut placeat deo et ómnibus” (For the pleasure of God and Man). This town – first no more than a camp and soon a proud city – was founded by the king of the Castiles, Alfonso VIII, not long before the dawn of the 13th century.

The visitor will soon realize that this “noblest of cities” was born to quarrelsome parents and rebellious inhabitants. Today it still boasts watchtowers, defensive walls, and gates that were opened and closed according to the degree of trust or suspicion which the stranger merited. Those were times of feared invasions, of sacking and pillaging and struggles between Moors and Christians, alternately conquerors and conquered.

PLASENCIA AND ITS PARADOR 1 At that time this proud fortress had up to seventy towers and eight gates, Until the monastery could be completed, the members of the order which “could be locked up tight or left wide open,” according to the worked and prayed next to the parish church of San Miguel in what noble intentions, sympathies, or propriety of the stranger. would become Santo Domingo el Viejo. It would live under the protection of the crowns of the Castilian monarchies until almost the middle of the 15th century. At that time From its early days, in the final third of the 15th century (1477), the King Juan II granted it to Pedro de Zuñiga as a countship to repay pious community undertook intense and feverish work in Christian favors done by the nobleman. The meritorious lord was master of lives teaching and education, in compliance with the express order of the and lands in these and other extensive areas. duchess: “...thus I order that five of the members who inhabit the monastery In that Moors, Jews, and Christians successfully coexisted. The dedicate themselves exclusively to theological study.” For these three cultures came together in an intelligent symbiosis, beneficial to all. purposes a lecture room and income for maintenance and other Plasencia became an important nucleus for much beneficial Jewish expenses were provided. knowledge. Afterwards, private charitable donations were received. Some were of Perhaps it would be wise to recall here that local acceptance of the untold value, such as that made by Rodrigo Ignacio de Carvajal y Jewish population would be fostered by King Nieto when he gave the monastery a singular Alfonso VIII through a statue promulgated in and invaluable library made up of close to 1189. There are records showing that in the three thousand volumes, an unusual treasure 15th century the Jewish population of for those times. The monastery would come Plasencia numbered some one thousand to have two theology lecture rooms, one for inhabitants. They met to pray, speak, do art and philosophy courses. business, or conspire in an important synagogue in a place known as La Mota. The “Convento de Santo Domingo” Virtually the same exact site is today Parador is an architectural complex occupied by the Palace of the Marquis of dating from the end of the 15th century. Mirabel, and the Dominican Monastery of The monastery would also be occupied by San Vicente, today a Parador. the priests of Corazón de María. Following many ups and downs, it would end up in an unfortunate state of neglect until it was recovered, painstakingly rehabilitated, and transformed into this lovely and exceptional site for the visitor’s enjoyment.

The Parador: These walls, patios, and noble rooms were built atop what was once La Mota, an ancient fortress. Dazzling Monastery The site has also been occupied by a synagogue of Santo Domingo and Jewish cemetery, as archeological investigation has shown. The careful excavations have even brought to light artifacts from prior to the foundation of the city by the royal decree of Alfonso VIII. Among the valuable pieces I n the mid-15th century, Álvaro de Zúñiga determined to which have appeared are a pointer for reading from the synagogue, expropriate these and other properties to build what became and numerous fragments of Jewish votive lamps. a pious monastery. To do so, it was necessary to tear down the synagogue and other neighboring buildings. Work on this magnificent monastery was directed and carried out by the master stone mason Pedro González, with the valuable assistance The traveler shares the walls and rooms of this exceptional site with of his son Francisco and the master craftsmen Malueñes, Daras, and the holy and not so holy Dominican friars who inhabited the building García Escalante. by the express and generous will of the Count and Countess of Zúñiga, Don Álvaro and Doña Leonor de Pimentel. The founding The monastery complex acts as a sort of pious and protective barrier charter reads as follows: enclosing the church which, owing to its magnificence, appears almost to be a cathedral. The temple is reached through a large 17th-century “I, Doña Leonor, Duchess of the city of Plasencia, with the license neoclassical façade. However, access to the monastery complex is from and consent of my lord, the Duke, have founded a monastery of the the west, through an awe-inspiring 18th-century portico. The order of our father Saint Domingo in honor of and with reverence to porticoed area, which precedes a beautiful large patio, displays an Saint Vincent of the Preachers, who receives my singular devotion.” amazing coffered ceiling (of the grisaille type), patiently and intelligently crafted between the 15th and 16th centuries. It was The noble devotion and gratitude was due to Saint Vincent Ferrer, as originally installed in the central crossing of the cell area. he had miraculously managed to resuscitate the only male child of the duke and duchess. The beautifully-proportioned cloister is late Gothic. Above part of the southwest corner of the ground floor, the visitor can admire significant remnants of a polychrome coffered ceiling in the Mudejar style. On the

PLASENCIA AND ITS PARADOR 2 upper floor, paintings feature the coat of arms of the Dominicans of the Zúñiga-Pimentel family, and even an allegory of death, all dating from the 16th century. The walls are decorated with engraved enamel restored in the 19th century, a faithful reproduction of the original 16th- century design.

The staircase is like an agile spell cast over the heavy ashlar. The workmanship is as lovely as it is awe-inspiring, given the generous size. The structure defies building principles with improbable and mysterious supports. Not for nothing is it known as the “Staircase of the Air.” This magnificent display was created by the Plasencia master Juan Alvarez (1577). So remarkable is the structure that it merits the Malevolent and venial tongues would tell that the expulsion of the wonder and admiration of lay visitors and architectural scholars alike. Jesuits ordered by King Carlos III in the mid-18th century was celebrated in these winey depths with rejoicing and festivities, The chapterhouse and de profundis chapel inspires respect and including the generous consumption of exquisite viands. reverence. It lies below star-ribbed vaults built in the 15th century. The monastery contains two large halls: on the lower floor the refectory, dating from the 16th century, displays a magnificent frieze From The Parador: of polychrome tiles from Talavera, above which is the library. Both Remembrance Of Things generously proportioned rooms boast excellent coffered ceilings. Past Another area which will likewise catch the visitor’s eye is the western façade overlooking the large patio, which corresponds to the exterior “...Among rocks sheathed in green, gazing at itself in the , of the refectory and library. It proudly displays two engraved enamel rises the mass of Plasencia’s ancient castles, with the stonework of coats of arms, one of the Dominicans, and the other of the Zúñiga- its unfinished cathedral in the center...” Pimentel family. The north offers another noble façade, this time from the 16th century, with sets of alternating windows and elliptical lowered arches. Unamuno once again

The monastery’s wine cellar warrants at least some mention. The A round the turn of the 16th century, the unifying Catholic 15th-century original still remains, having been adapted to the needs monarchs, Isabel and Ferdinand, decided to bring Plasencia of the Parador. However, it still respects and reveals its essential under their exclusive control. This medieval fortress and Gothic town origins. The three levels have been carved into the rock, and an has remained much the same. A modern and blushing hidden city, it intelligent and secure system for wine production is employed on the lies tucked in amongst crags and mists. These lovely confines, upper level. Should any of the upper earthenware jars fortunately still little visited by invasive tourism, offer the visitor a break as a result of the fermentation process, the spilt hospitality which is now rare. Without even trying, the city recalls liquid would be collected by the large jars below. splendors past. It is not surprising that these streets, squares, and Knowledgeable sources state that these many houses and ancestral homes shelter keys and powers: “they cool, dark surroundings came to knew much about how properly to command and govern these many harbor up to two thousand districts.” jugs of wine. CATHEDRAL OF CATHEDRALS

The visitor will be pleasantly surprised not to find a normal cathedral here. It is rather a complex, a succession of large religious areas with surprising unique artistic features skillfully and patiently embellished in distant times. It enjoyed extensive religious and economic power throughout these vast lands. The Bishoprics of Plasencia succeeded in attracting the best artists and artisans of their time. Consequently, these stones would be wisely shaped and molded by such renowned figures as Rodrigo Gil de Ontañón, Alonso de Covarrubias, and Diego de Siloé.

The result of this would be an intelligent symbiosis of two cathedrals in one, the Old and the New, and the miraculous but difficult balance of Romanesque, Gothic, and Plateresque characteristics.

PLASENCIA AND ITS PARADOR 3 The Old Cathedral is a temple which displays a false humility, Visitors of a curious nature will recall that three cultures then linked by although it rises opposite the Episcopal palace. It was built between ties of brotherhood lived together in Plasencia. The Jewish community was the 13th and 14th centuries around three rib-vaulted naves and an able to exist and coexist in the area around what are today Coria, Zapatería, ancient noble Cistercian cloister. The singular octagonal cupola and Trujillo Streets. When the Jewish community’s first synagogue was topped by a rounded spire recalls the old cathedral in Salamanca or destroyed, they remained true to their ways, customs, and religion. The Jews the collegiate church at Toro. It betrays the mark and taste of the decided to build a new synagogue on the site of present-day Ansamo Square, renowned Juan Francés. near Trujillo Street. However, their efforts were in vain, for it would not enjoy eternal life. However, the New Cathedral does not lag behind. It attracted no small number of the most sough-after architects of the time. It was TOUR OF THE CIUDAD designed and begun by Enrique Egás. Francisco de Colonia and others would continue work on his masterpiece, remaining more or -13th-century Old Cathedral, 16th-century New Cathedral less faithful to the original design. It was Juan de Álava who put the -Cathedral Museum finishing touches on the main chapel with -Ethnographic Museum exceptional Renaissance mastery. -Episcopal Palace -Main Square -Church of San Salvador, 18th century -Church of San Nicolás, 13th century -Church of San Martín, 13th century -City walls with its gates: Berrozana, Sol, and Postigo de Santa María.

Tables Filled With Hearty Local Produce

G uests find themselves on the exceptional Via de la Plata, crossroads of history and art. It has known and inherited much from the passing of such a variety of peoples. Some learned, and other taught on a number of matters, including the culinary arts.

For it could have been no other way. So abundant and varied is the produce which these lands have always offered and continue to supply: kid goats and lambs grazed in open pastures, abundant and varied game such as wild boar and partridge, trout from its rivers and Work on the building would continue under Alonso de tench fished in its pools, pond frogs, and of course the best cured ham Covarrubias. Gil de Hontañón was the creator the lovely main and sausages from pigs raised in the mountain highlands among oak façade, with its Renaissance taste and wisdom. woods, as well as cheeses from throughout the region, and the fruits of Both unfinished cathedrals offer the viewer a heterogeneous but the banks of the Jertes. harmonious unity which is difficult to match. Its final authorship is The local cuisine features natural products and robust and hearty only reasonably attributable to the passage of time. recipes, an age-old inheritance of transhumant shepherds and monastic recipes with their refined, yet not necessary frugal, rites and We will not neglect to make brief mention of the Episcopal ways. Palace, a lovely space which is inseparable from the cathedral square as a whole. The palace boasts a Renaissance façade BASTARD CUISINES displaying the coat of arms of Bishop Vargas Carvajal (15th century), also an active promoter of a great many religious buildings Guests should have no difficulty finding all or almost all of these in the area. dishes wherever they may go: Acorn-fed cured ham (from pigs known here as “marranos”) which The traveler should try to make time for random strolls through offers such magnificent slices as to make it difficult for knowledgeable almost any of these streets and squares, stopping and investigating experts to choose between the rosy fat and the darker lean. shops selling lost and forgotten handicrafts or antiques, enjoying satisfying conversation with any of the town’s people. Pond frogs’ legs, a delicious local delicacy.

It should be remembered that while for centuries Plasencia was a Lamb kidneys on toasted bread with oil; roasted red pepper and walled town with closed gates, today it is a city whose gates are tomato salad with cured duck ham; tostettes with sweet patatera open to all who choose to visit. Travelers will always wish for more sausage, a type of blood sausage prepared in an unusual an time than they have to spend here. mysterious manner; grilled loin of local beef, prepared with flake salt.

PLASENCIA AND ITS PARADOR 4 Autumn is the season for partridge, stewed and stuffed with mushrooms and Iberian cured ham. The preferred treat of the most discerning is shoulder of local suckling lamb, roasted and seasoned with aromatic herbs collected in the area.

There are many more dishes, some seasonal, for example, mille feuille filled with truffles, green wild asparagus and shrimp in a mushroom sauce or roast suckling lamb and eggplant moussaka.

Guests should definitely leave room for dessert, choosing from among many delights which have benefited from monastic, pastoral, Moorish, and Jewish influences:

Técula-mécula cake has an almond and egg base. The rest of the ingredients and preparation vary according to the cook’s own secret recipe.

The singular garbocha soup is made with milk, rice, chestnuts, honey, and a secret ingredient or two.

Repápalos are a type of fritter made with bread crumbs and egg, and cooked in aniseed flavored milk.

Diner, do not despair, this cuisine is as extensive as it is versatile. Should you have any doubts, ask for advice and then decide.

THE SECRET RECIPES

Although it is not customary, the hotel’s chef is not adverse to Excursions Or Incursions revealing the secret to preparing a few favorite dishes. However, we cannot make any promises about the results! For Prudent Pilgrims

SALT COD MONASTERY STYLE Desalt the cod and drain well. Coat with flour and fry. In the same “...And the solemn life of the worlds oil, fry some sliced potatoes. continue along their monotonous, immutable, With part of the same oil, sauté some cooked spinach. magnificent and serene paths...” Place the potatoes in the bottom of a casserole dish, top with the cod and spinach, then cover with milk and crushed garlic. Bake. Gabriel y Galán

WILD GREEN ASPARAGUS GAZPACHO Fry two cloves of garlic with sufficient oil. Next, fry three eggs. M ay we suggest just a few of the numerous and varied In the excess oil, fry a bunch of wild green asparagus. incursions, excursions, prowls, and walks which the visitor Combine everything in a pot with some bread crumbs and blend can undertake from this historic, newly renovated Parador de Turismo. until smooth. The choice will depend on what time and desire permit. Add a moderate amount of water and season with salt and vinegar. Serve cold with Dehesa cured ham shavings. Any map or compass point will be truly gratifying, it is only a matter of individual taste. KID GOAT CUCHIFRITO Cut up the kid and fry in oil. Add a few cloves of garlic and a touch of paprika from Jaraiz de la Vera. Add a dash of vinegar, a splash of AROUND THE PRODIGIOUS VALLEY white wine, and some water. Cook until the liquid has been reduced. It is easy to locate the unusual valley if we leave the Parador along MERINO LAMB STEW Carretera Nacional 110, which roughly follows the route of the Cook the chunks of rib and leg in hot oil. Add a chopped onion, prodigious Jerte. white wine, and some fried bread, garlic, and lamb liver. Sprinkle with a touch of paprika and cook until tender. The roads are scattered with proud pasts. The locals are as respectful and humble as the traveler might imagine. They are friendly and FRIED TENCH congenial, and expect the same in return. The stranger is very well Simply wash, clean, season, coat with flour, and fry in hot olive oil. received, but as a guest. If you wish, serve the fish with lightly fried strips of cured ham, nothing else.

PLASENCIA AND ITS PARADOR 5 You can choose a route based on your appetite or the time available. shelter here, protected, while their presence is scant or nil in other Before you know it, you will be in the heart of the Jerte Valley, a place areas. On the winds of crests and ravines proud specimens of black of goatherds and pastoral ways. You will start to see homes made of vultures and golden eagles pose and soar. Black storks find company chestnut wood on a granite foundation. atop bell towers.

If possible, head towards Pass on the road to Avila, through These mountains are an inexhaustible wealth of surprises. Even the high pleasant ground. The ascent along the Jertes is gradual and passes local language is unique, singular and mysterious. In any of this score through unexpectedly fertile lands: - Jerte - of towns the visitor will hear expressions and terms that hark back to - Tornavacas - Barrado. distant lands. It is a curious and singsong dialect: La fala, the chapurriau, the mañegu, the Lagartieru. It is capable of awakening THE LOVELY CORIA admiration and conflict amongst scholars. Perhaps it is a vestige of the medieval immigrants from Asturias and Leon who resettled the land, For visitors who are short of time, there is an excellent option: Coria. with ancient Castilian, Extremadura, and Galician additions. As small as it is charming, this village well deserves a stop to visit its lovely streets and valuable monuments. A possible route for the daring and interested traveler might cover Its people have restrained, although not humble, ways. “We will be , San Martín de Trevejo, , Gata, , distant, but not far,” they remind the stranger, should their smugness Santibáñez el Alto, and Borbollón. seem excessive. Coria is noble and notable. Just a piece of advice for the visitor, who will perhaps be converted into GATA: MOUNTAINS SCULPTED BY THE ANGELS a traveler by these mountains: find enough time to savor these fascinating corners intensely and deeply. These mountains were consecrated as the Olympus of impossible gods. Sheltered from the destructive ire of man, luminous filigree betrays the effects of water, wind, and sun.

The Gata Mountains are magical lands. This hidden region snuggles against the north of Caceres, shared and co-inhabited by parts of Salamanca and Portugal. Its mild weather is protected by the strong winds of the north and the valleys have an exaggerated ferocity. Their rivers and streams leap and turn, and the landscape is filled with portentous exuberance. The towns were carved out by artists ignorant of their trade, forgotten, silent, hard-working, resigned people proud of their mountains.

The visitor will find almost everything along these trails: vestiges of prehistory; remains of Celtic fortresses; and remnants of imperial Roman roads such as the Via Dalmacia, which linked Caurum and Miróbriga, today known as Coria and Ciudad Rodrigo. The impossible-to-uproot intense love and continuing Moorish presence flavors towns and roads such as Eljás, La Almenara, Trebejo, and Santibáñez, while grape and olive cultivation is an essential part of these lands, past and future.

More so than in other areas, it is said that it cost the Arabs much blood and many tears to cede these paradises to the Christians, the final victor. Christianity would triumph once and for all with Alfonso IX, Parador de Plasencia around the start of the 13th century. The pastures and people of these lands were for centuries cultivated by the military orders: the Knights Pza. San Vicente Ferrer, s/n. 10600 Plasencia (Cáceres) Templar, Knights Hospitaller, and above all, the Order of Alcántara. Tel.: 927 42 58 70 - Fax: 927 42 58 72 The Gata Mountains are the present-day heir to medieval flavors: e-mail: [email protected] numerous belfries in the many 16th-century temples recall that age. Its rural architecture is sculptural magic: slate and chestnut eaves, granite Reservation Center emblazoned with coats of arms, and Gothic trim. Requena, 3. 28013 Madrid (España) Tel.: 902 54 79 79 - Fax: 902 52 54 32 Nature offers a continuous succession of welcome surprises. Visitors – a www.parador.es / e-mail: [email protected] pilgrim rather than a traveler – will find themselves plunged into a Textos: Juan G. D’Atri y Miguel García Sánchez Dibujos: Fernando Aznar masterful vision of botany, geology, and zoology. Flora and fauna provide an abundant spectacle. A generous selection of species take

PLASENCIA AND ITS PARADOR 6