We are travelling now to the municipality of Ciudad Rodrigo where you can discover one of the most spectacular settings in the province of Salamanca where you will have a very complete rural tourism experience due to the large number of places of interest it has.
It is less than 90 kilometres from Salamanca, although the distance is less to the Portuguese border, which is only 25 kilometres away. Located on the northern plateau, Ciudad Rodrigo is one of the most important destinations in the province.
Nowadays perfectly communicated with other nearby destinations, it has served as a settlement for different communities over the years, with traces of them dating back to the Bronze Age. That is why its cultural heritage is so extensive and has helped it to be declared a Spanish Historic-Artistic Site since 1944.
There are many stops we recommend you make in the historic quarter, an area delimited by the ancient city walls, which are also a Monument of Cultural Interest. They are extended over 2 kilometres and have five gates. As you can see, wherever you look in this town there is something to visit.
We begin with the Castle of Spanish king Henry II, whose initial construction dates back to 1372, although there have been some later modifications. Although it is true that in previous years it housed the Regional Museum, it is now a Parador Nacional tourist hotel. A second stop is the Cathedral of Santa María, which was under construction for two centuries. Of religious nature too is the Cerralbo Chapel, another of the municipality's great constructions, which began with the idea of being even more important than the cathedral, hence its magnitude.
On the other side are the Town Hall, with its Renaissance façade, and three main palaces, those of the Marquesa de Cartago, the Águila family and the Ávila and Tiedra families, but they are not the only ones in the territory of Ciudad Rodrigo.
For those who like to enjoy the experience in all its aspects, we must mention the main festivities, and the most important events in the calendar are, first of all, the Carnival of the Bull, the most important festival of Ciudad Rodrigo.
It is held between February and March and takes place in the Plaza Mayor, which is decorated as a bullring where bullfights, heifer fighting and bull-leaping activities are held for all audiences, as it is one of the most famous in this area that welcomes tourists from all over the world for the occasion.
At the beginning of the year, in January, there is an event in honour of the patron saint of Ciudad Rodrigo, San Sebastián. And very typical of the area, and of Salamanca in general, is spending a day in the countryside and enjoy hornazo right after Easter, a relaxed family event that we recommend you experience.
Finally, we would like to highlight the typical gastronomy of the area, where flavour and quality come together to produce traditional recipes.
Among the best-known dishes of Ciudad Rodrigo are eggs with farinato, a typical sausage from the area of Castile-León, which has a Designation of Origin. We mentioned earlier hornazo, a savoury pastry stuffed with sausage, as well as chanfaina and patatas meneás, which will complete the traditional menu of this region.
And to finish on a sweet note, a bollo maimón or some perrunillas will the perfect choice for a sweet bite.
Enjoy Ciudad Rodrigo!
