Discover Escalona – Ways of Saint James, the Alberche and culture

Routes and river landscape

Escalona can be discovered from several perspectives: via the Ways of Saint James, the Alberche and the town’s historic buildings. The two branches of the Way of Saint James, the Camino de Levante and the Camino del Sureste, pass through Escalona. They merge immediately before crossing the Alberche and separate again afterwards. On both branches, Escalona is the end of one stage and the beginning of the next; there is a pilgrims’ hostel and several places where pilgrims can have their Compostela stamped.

The Sendero de la Orilla Izquierda follows the river upstream between the riparian forest and the Alberche, offering changing views of the Castillo de Escalona. A riverside promenade along the Alberche passes beaches and islands whose appearance changes depending on the water level. For planning your own trip, these types of route can be given different weight: the stage route, the upstream path and the riverside promenade each have their own focus. Those combining several interests can consider them side by side rather than viewing the town from just one perspective.

Culture and history

The Castillo de Escalona comprises a Gothic fortress and a Mudéjar palace; the construction of the castle was commissioned by the Constable Álvaro de Luna. In addition to its military function, the Castillo was also a centre of political and economic power. Parts of Escalona’s medieval town walls can be explored on foot.

The Convento de La Encarnación dates from the 16th century, is a transitional work between the Gothic and Renaissance periods, and has been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural. The Iglesia de San Miguel is Baroque in style and contains a painting of the Immaculate Conception from the 18th-century Madrid school, as well as a stone representation of the Virgin and Child dating from the 15th century. For your own sightseeing, you can consider the buildings individually or arrange them according to their period and function.

Other places

Other places in this overview: Herreruela de Oropesa, Urbanización Río Cedena, Mazarambroz, Los Cerralbos, Buenaventura, Ajofrín, El Carpio de Tajo, Yepes

Places and literary traces

The Plaza del Infante Don Juan Manuel, also known as Plaza Mayor de Escalona, is a Castilian square with arcades supported by stone and wooden columns. It is associated with the liberation of Lazarillo de Tormes from his blind master. The Torre del Agua is a former industrial structure from the first half of the 20th century, built as part of the water supply system and now housing the Oficina de Turismo de Escalona.

The literary route through Escalona runs along streets enclosed by walls. Plaques display excerpts from literary works and provide additional content via QR code. During your own sightseeing, you can make the square, the enclosed streets and the marked texts the focus in succession or independently of one another. The literary perspective thus stands alongside the themes of routes, the river and buildings.

For the overarching travel overview: Toledo.