Ávila made it easy for us.
One look at the city walls is enough to realise that we belong to a city with a taste for framing great treasures: our history, our architecture and our World Heritage.
Our hotel stands on the left bank of the river Adaja, just a few metres from the Cuatro Postes monument. This monument gives us our name and is the starting point of a fascinating route you can do on foot, thanks to the bridge over the river and its closeness to the city walls, Ávila’s most visible attraction, though certainly not the only one. Without leaving its walls you will find the Cathedral, the first Gothic cathedral in Spain. Ávila is also full of interesting churches and basilicas, such as San Vicente, San Pedro and the church of San Juan Bautista, a key place in the life of Saint Teresa of Ávila, whose footsteps you can follow at other sites such as the Convento de La Santa and the Monastery of San José.
The Mysticism Interpretation Centre is a modern space where you can discover this phenomenon through its artistic and universal interpretations. And it is not the only contemporary building. Just outside the fortress, very close to our hotel, is the Lienzo Norte Conference and Exhibition Centre. Speaking of palaces, of which we have plenty, we invite you to visit the palaces of los Serrano and los Verdugo, El Episcopio or the Casa de las Carnicerías, home to Ávila’s tourist office, in case you want to find out more and plan your visit in detail. Can you imagine coming and seeing it all?
A brief history of Ávila
A visit to Ávila quickly takes us back to medieval times, to contemplation, to literature, to history…
A medieval city that for centuries was a meeting place for the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths, which gave the city a cultural blend still present today.
A stroll through the city lets us enjoy its stone and the history held in every corner, every monument, every building. It is not for nothing that it is known as the city of Stones and Saints.
Founded by the Celtiberians, its first settlers, it was called Óbila, meaning “high mountain”, because of its altitude (1,130 metres above sea level). It was the Romans, present in the city for more than six centuries, who developed its characteristic urban layout, above all its 11th-century walls.
The 16th century was undoubtedly the city’s period of greatest political, economic, social and religious splendour. Its importance in the political decisions of Castile made it a point of reference at the time. It was during this period that the palaces and buildings of the nobility were built, such as those of the Dávila, Núñez Vela, Bracamonte, Águila and Velada families. Shrines and churches were also built that have endured to this day and make Ávila a magnificent showcase of Gothic and Renaissance art in monumental granite.
It was declared a World Heritage City in 1985 for its beauty, history, condition and conservation. On top of all this, it is the city with the largest number of Romanesque and Gothic churches in Spain, which alone justifies a visit.
We should also enjoy its gastronomy: here the T-bone steak (chuletón) and patatas revolconas are the signature dishes, which you can enjoy at the Hotel 4 Postes restaurant.
