Castile-Leon (Castilla y Leon in Spanish) is a region of Spain
composed of Leon with the provinces of Leon, Zamora and Salamanca,
and Castile with the provinces of Avila, Burgos, Palencia, Segovia,
Soria and Valladolid. It was formed by the union of two ancient
kingdoms: Old Castile and the Kingdom of Leon, which were separated
and reunited several times in the Middle Ages. It borders on
Asturias and Cantabria to the north, Aragon, the Basque Country,
and La Rioja to the east, the autonomous community of Madrid
and Castile-La Mancha to the southeast, Extremadura to the south,
and borders on Portugal and Galicia to the west. It is the largest
region in Spain with its capital Valladolid almost at its very
centre.
Avila is located in the Avila province
around 35 miles southwest of Segovia, in the south of the Old
Castile region.
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Avila is the highest capital in Spain, built on the
flat summit of a rocky hill which rises from a brown, arid, treeless
landscape surrounded by high mountains, the Gredos Sierra. This
means it has an extreme climate, with very hard and long winters,
and short summers. Avila is a World Heritage Site. Its ancient
city walls, constructed of brown granite, have eighty-six towers,
many topped with stork nests, nine gateways and are still in
excellent repair. Behind the walls, a compound is concealed,
made up of Renaissance churches and palaces. Just inside one
gate is the Convent of Saint Teresa with a small church built
over the saint's birthplace. |