What to see in Candeleda (Ávila), a beautiful town with traditional architecture

Candeleda has always been considered one of the most beautiful towns in the province of Ávila.

Located in the southern slope of Gredos, enjoys a warmer climate than the towns located on the north face of this mountain range, the highest in the Central Sistem.

Por eso Candeleda, just like the nearby Sands of San Pedro, have grown to become the main centers of tourism in this region located at the feet of Gredos.

From Candeleda, which is located at an altitude of just over 400 meters above sea level and enjoys a warm climate, it is very easy to enter the Sierra de Gredos.

In fact, the top of the Almanzor Peak, the highest of all Central Sistem, you will find in the municipality of Candeleda, right on the border with that of Zapardiel de la Ribera.

Where is and how to visit Candeleda

The road to Candeleda, if we come from the A-5, offers us a good view of Gredos and its high mountains as a scenario where this population is found.

But in addition to its direct relationship with the mountains, and for different reasons, Candeleda has always been closely related to other regions of Toledo and Cáceres, since these provinces are very close.

Therefore, on a weekend or long weekend getaway, the visit to Candeleda can be easily combined with Oropesa, Talavera de la Reina, the already mentioned Sands of San Pedro or even with the people of he will see her o the Jerte.

Although this area has been inhabited since ancient times, and in fact a few kilometers away you can visit the archaeological site of the Vetón town of Castro del Raso, this entire region began to develop after the conquest of Toledo by Alfonso VI.

Although it was a border land with nearby Muslim territories, for centuries it was home to a small Jewish community.

What to see and do when visiting Candeleda

From centuries past Candeleda keeps a good set of popular architecture, which can be discovered in a walk through the old town.

A good place to start the tour is the Plaza Mayor.

House of Flowers in Candeleda

Here is the building of the Town Hall, but surely the call House of Flowers arouses more interest in visitors.

La House of Flowers is one of the best examples of traditional architecture that we are going to find in Candeleda.

Furthermore, being located in a square and not in a narrow street, it is easier to observe and appreciate.

We see that it follows the traditional scheme of a stone ground floor, while the upper floors are half-timbered walls made of wood and brick or adobe.

The entire façade shows continuous balconies, which in this case are also full of pots with flowers, and hence its name.

Tin Toy Museum in Candeleda

An added attraction of the House of Flowers is that it can be visited since it houses the Tin Toy Museum.

It has thousands of pieces on display, both ancient and modern.

A visit to the museum also allows you to observe the interior of a traditional house.

It is believed that this building was built at the end of the 19th century, so it is not one of the oldest in Candeleda, but in the nearby streets we will find houses that are much older.

Ethnographic Museum in Candeleda

In the nearby Corredera street is the Tourist Office located in the Ethnographic Museum, so the visit serves to learn about the history and customs of the area and to obtain practical information for our visit.

In this museum some of the finds of the Castro del Raso.

For this part, the best of Candeleda is walking aimlessly, looking for details of the traditional architecture, whether they are wooden balconies, Some blazons on the walls or details that tell us about the past greatness of some inhabitants of this town.

Posters with traditional songs and literary quotes

A curiosity that we are going to find everywhere is plates or tiles in which they appear traditional songs, couplets or popular sayings, sometimes referring to the street where they are located.

There are also some literary quotes or comments from well-known authors about Candeleda, such as Camilo José Cela.

SkyHe reflected his time in Candeleda in his travel book Jews, Moors and Christians. This is the reason why there is a street dedicated to the Galician Nobel Prize winner.

Another detail that stands out is that the small canals through which water flowed centuries ago are still preserved in the streets.

Walking through this area we continue to find interesting details, such as the call House of the Jewish Quarter, where it is said that a Court of the inquisition.

Church of the Assumption, rural Gothic in Candeleda

Through these sloping streets you reach at some point the church of Our Lady of the Assumption.

It is a work of rural gothic where the cover stands out.

It occupies one of the highest points of the town, and if we go around it, we see a perspective of the peaks of Gredos, which had disappeared from our sight since we had entered its labyrinth of alleys.

If we return to the Plaza Mayor, we will find other places that tell us about the daily life of Candeleda.

Plaza del Castillo, atmosphere of bars and terraces

Eg Castle plaza, one of the local meeting places, with its bars and terraces.

Next door, in the roundabout, stands out a small monument to the Hispanic goat, one of the most important animals in the Sierra de Gredos, some of whose specimens we will surely see if we take an excursion through the mountain.

Some palm trees tell us that in this area the temperatures can be quite warm even if we are at the foot of the mountains.

There are other places that we can visit within a short distance.

One of them is the Jurisdictional Roll, which is located next to the hermitage of San Blas. They are both very close to Santa Maria Gorge River.

On the river we will also see the Old Bridge.

Despite its name, it is not particularly old since it dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, and its appeal is perhaps due to the fact that it is located next to the modern bridge over which the road that goes to Madrigal of Vera.