Valladolid Province

The history of this province is long and rich as it here that the Court of Castilla was installed for many years. The capital city was the ancient capital city of the Empire during the reigns of Carlos I and Felipe II; a fact reflected by the large numbers of fortresses that are found within its borders.

There are more than 30 castles located around the province, most of them restored and opened to the public.

Valladolid is filled with many towns and villages waiting to be explored. All of them are like open-air museums and preserve many of the features that were established several hundred years ago. Moyorga is a town that is still surrounded by the old defensive wall.

This locality conserves an important mudejar legacy, the importance of which is typified by the ‘rollo’ jurisdictional, built in 1426. The rollo is an ornate column, still found in many Spanish villages, where medieval justice was carried out and where punishment was enacted.

In Santa Maria de Matallana there are important ruins that are all that remains of a huge Cistercian monastery. Today, this place is used as a centre for the study of nature as it lies on the borders of the Montes Torozos. The centre boasts temporary exhibitions and a botanic garden that use the ruins of the ancient monastery as a backdrop.

Places worth a Visit

Los Torozos is especially worth visiting. The area, which covers a total area of 1,061 km2 is shared between the provinces of Zamora, Palencia and Valladolid. It lies about 100 metres above the surrounding countryside and is filled with castles and remnats of a turbulent past.

Of particular interest is the Mota de Marqués, a huge tower that sits within the castle boundaries. The hermitage of Our Lady of Castellanos conserves an immensely rich artistic heritage. In Wamba the church, Santa María, is one of the oldest churches in the whole of the province of Valladolid. Its macabre ossuary is one of the most fascinating and ancient of Spain.

Terrelobatón has what must be one of the most impressive castles of the whole of the province of Valladolid. The construction of this emblematic fortress began at the beginning of the XV century on top of an even older fortress.

Gastronomy

As with all of the province of Castilla y León, main dishes are based around meat. Due to the harsh conditions of the agriculture and climate, the food that the common people ate had to provide a rich source of protein in order to work long hours. This gave rise to dishes based on pork, beef and poultry. Also on offer are game from the countryside including pheasant, grouse, rabbit and hare.

In terms of wine, Valladolid is perhaps the province most recognised as being the home of what are arguably some of the most delicious wines from Spain and the province is home to an immense variety. Here, the art of winemaking has been perfected and are distinctive for their deep taste and intense colour whose flavour intensifies with age.

Fiestas and Celebrations

In the Fiesta de San Pedro Regalado held on the 13th May, there are bullfights, parties and concerts.

In keeping with the rest of Spain, Semana Santa is celebrated here with a mixture of colour, religious zeal, serious prayer and partying. The processions in the capital city are so unique that they have been declared to be of International Tourist Interest.

The Fiesta de San Mateo is held between the 10th and 24th of September. These are the longest and most involved fiestas of the province. They offer a huge variety of entertainment and activities including bull fights, cultural exhibitions, open air concerts, theatre, displays of local products, sports events and much more….

More information:

http://www.asomateavalladolid.org/
http://www.diputaciondevalladolid.es/presentacion.shtml