Villatoro: Castillo, Serrota and Monasterio del Risco

Villatoro lies at the western end of the Valle Amblés, at the foot of the mountain pass named after the town, where the Serrota and the Sierra de Ávila meet. In Villatoro, Izarón is a travelling park with huge wooden play structures.

Landscape

Villatoro is one of the municipalities in the Sierras de la Paramera y Serrota area. In the vicinity of Villatoro, the Río Adaja rises on the Serrota in a meadow within an oak forest; the path up into the mountains and onward to Villafranca runs through this meadow. When planning independently, the broader geographical context and the specifically described route can be considered separately. Thus, the landscape area and the individual section of the route serve as distinct levels of orientation alongside each other.

History

Villatoro’s urban structure was organised around the medieval Ávila–Piedrahita route, which has passed through the town since the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, Villatoro was known as San Miguel del Soto. In the 14th century, Villatoro was granted as a fief to Sancho Blázquez de Ávila, the bishop of Ávila. The Castillo de Villatoro was founded in the mid-14th century by Alfonso XI in favour of Bishop Sancho Dávila and his descendants. Of the Castillo de Villatoro, only one of its original four towers and parts of two enclosing walls remain.

The town’s history thus combines a medieval transport route, an earlier name, the granting of a fief and the founding of the Castillo de Villatoro. These different points of reference make the historical development readable in several layers, without limiting it to the surviving masonry.

Culture

The church of San Miguel Arcángel in Villatoro has a Gothic, fortress-like appearance with star-shaped rib vaults, exposed stone and a wooden roof structure. Two of the Verracos de Villatoro stand elevated above the Ávila–Plasencia road, facing the town hall. Three verracos found in Villatoro stand in the village square next to the parish church. For discovering the town, architectural form, historic stone figures and their respective described placement come together here.

Routes and events

The route from Villatoro to the Monasterio del Risco in Amavida is approximately 12 km long when the outward and return journeys are added together, and is considered an easy excursion. The starting point is by the church at the beginning of the road. From there, the route initially follows the road and adjacent fields for 4 km towards Vadillo de la Sierra. The approximate total length and the more precisely described first section provide two levels for assessing the timing of a tour.

On 21 August 2026, Villatoro will host the 4th Arts and Crafts Market Day from 12 noon to 6 p.m. In Villatoro, 11 April is dedicated to the Virgen de los Dolores and 29 September to San Miguel Arcángel. Anyone wishing to compare different daily rhythms can set the route description alongside a cultural event scheduled for a specific time.

Other places

Fontiveros, Hernansancho, El Hoyo De Pinares, Muñogalindo, Martiherrero, Bernuy-Salinero, Fuente El Saúz, Berrocalejo De Aragona

For the overarching travel overview: Avila.