Ayllón: Old Town, Castle Hill and Wine Cellars

In Ayllón, the view of the town begins with the old town: it is designated as a Bien de Interés Cultural.

Culture and History

The Plaza Mayor is a square lined with arcades. Its old arcades preserve distinctive and striking posts that are considered a hallmark of the town. El Arco is one of Ayllón’s three former town gates and bears four coats of arms belonging to distinguished families. The Palacio de los Contreras was built in 1497 by Juan de Contreras. Romanesque apses have been preserved at the Iglesia de San Miguel; its portal is decorated with rosettes, zigzag patterns and checkerboard patterns. The Palacio del Obispo Vellosillo houses the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Ayllón.

Only the La Martina tower and the stone foundations remain of the Iglesia de San Martín del Castillo. La Martina served as a watchtower and, until the 16th century, as the bell tower of the former church. Ayllón Town Hall was built in the 16th century, remodelled at the beginning of the 19th century and damaged by a fire in 1945; only the façade survived. The Fuente de Cuatro Caños on the Plaza Mayor was built in 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America.

The Casa del Águila is a stately house made of dressed stone; it owes its name to a coat of arms in the form of a Saint John eagle mounted on the façade. The main altarpiece of Santa María la Mayor comes from the San Francisco convent and was transferred there after the beginning of the Desamortización in 1840. The clay wall remains known as Los Paredones have been preserved on the hill where Ayllón Castle once stood. The Casa-Palacio de María Eugenia de Montijo was first mentioned in documents in 1693 and served María Eugenia de Montijo as a stopping place on her journeys between Paris and Madrid.

Ayllón Medieval takes place on the last weekend of July and includes a market, threshing, street theatre, falconry, storytelling, competitions, dinners for nobles and commoners, and Celtic music. The festivities in honour of San Miguel Arcángel take place on 29 September.

Landscape and Wine

The peaks of the Sierra de Ayllón surround the town of Ayllón. The castle hills of Ayllón consist of reddish and brown conglomerates, sandstones and claystones. These rocks formed during the Cenozoic Era through the action of rivers and torrents. The interbedding of sandstone and clay layers in the castle hills made it possible to build underground wine cellars.

Ayllón’s traditional wine cellars and wine presses are located on the castle hills by the Aguisejo River. In Ayllón, architectural history, geology and wine tradition therefore stand side by side in closely identifiable local details.

Guided Tours and the Wider Surrounding Region

Theatrically staged guided tours through Ayllón convey historical events from the 13th century to the present day. A theatrically staged tour lasts approximately one hour and 45 minutes, is led by a female guide and includes six theatrical scenes.

The Museo de los Aromas is a museum in the wider surrounding region of Ayllón. The wider surrounding region of Ayllón also includes Pico de Grado, a peak, El Mirador, a viewpoint, Lobo, a mountain, and Hoces de Rio Riaza, a park.

Other places: Grado Del Pico, Otero De Herreros, Sacramenia, Dehesa Mayor, Torrecaballeros, Chatún, Valseca, Cabanillas

To the higher-level travel overview: Segovia.