Cities in Spain: Ciudad Rodrigo

Ciudad Rodrigo is situated on the banks of the Águeda River at the foot of a mountain range. The Spanish city was first populated by a tribe called the “Vetones” and then, 400 years later, by the Romans. There are three columns still standing today at the entrance to Ciudad Rodrigo which date back to this point in history. Due to an ongoing conflict between “Los Moros y Cristianos”, the city has been repopulated several times. When King Ferdinand II repopulated the city, he made several lasting changes including the construction of the cathedral and the medieval wall to protect the city. Ciudad Rodrigo’s Renaissance-style city hall is located in the Plaza Mayor. The building has arches at the entrance supported by columns.

Palaces

There are various mansions in Ciudad Rodrigo left over from the Renaissance period. Palacio de los Castro is particularly impressive with statues of lions placed on top of spiral-shaped columns. Palacio de los Águila is also fascinating as it is embellished with the family crest of all its previous owners. Some of the Palaces are used for practical purposes – the Casa de los Vázquez for example is used as the Post Office.

The Cathedral

The Cathedral was constructed over many hundreds of years meaning that many styles can be detected in the building work. Interestingly, the outside of the cathedral is decorated with religious sculptures while the choir stalls have had certain scenes carved into them that may be considered disrespectful of religion.  Situated close to the cathedral, is the temple which boasts an attractive walnut “Reredos” (a decorated wall behind a church alter) and a magnificent dome.

Cultural Cuisine

 “Farinato” is a local delicacy – sausage in bread crumbs with paprika – and goes well with fried eggs. Other “typical” dishes include “Chanfaina” (rice and pork) and “Hornazo” (pie). Roast dinners are very popular with the people of Ciudad Rodrigo – they especially like roast pork. “Bollo Maimón” is a cake made from egg, sugar and yeast. The most famous festival in Ciudad Rodrigo is the Carnaval Del Toro. The fiesta consists of a series of bullfights in the Plaza Mayor – some amateur using baby bulls “Vaquillas” and some professional using fully grown bulls.