One of the many tourism gems that Spain boasts of, Segovia is perhaps the dreamiest, with its amazing history that is reflected in extremely well-preserved monuments, ranging from a Roman Aqueduct to a 12th century Castle and a flamboyant 16th century Gothic Cathedral.

Two words. Fairytale Town. That’s all that I need to describe Segovia, a historic city, about 100 km north of Spanish capital Madrid.

It was definitely love at first sight. The moment I laid my eyes on it, I was immediately transported to another era as if I were in a lovely dream or back in my childhood when I used to look at my fairytale books and get a yearning to be in a place with the same kind of Castles and Palaces as depicted in the books.

We were in Spain and headed back to Madrid after a beautiful and well-rounded trip to Castilla-y-Leon region where I was exposed to a sample of all things that Spain could be proud of – fascinating architecture, unique culture, great wines and amazing food, not to mention the friendly and warm people whose enthusiasm and energy levels seemed to peak long after I was exhausted!

Chaperoned by my cheerful and extremely well-informed guide, Marta Guia, I was now headed for a quick dash to Segovia, a unique gem in Spain’s rich collection of touristic sites.

While driving to Segovia, as the undulating road climbed, I got my first glance of the fairyland, a castle just like the one which is featured in a typical Disney story where the beautiful princess is imprisoned. And I was not entirely wrong, but more on that later.

With its narrow turrets rising high above, the 12th century castle is a fortress that was built with a military purpose in mind and stands on the highest point in Segovia, overlooking not just the city but large swathes of valleys all around. Indeed, Alcazar is one of the highest points in this rather flat land.

Approaching the city, other monuments also emerge on the horizon, with the Segovia Cathedral as well as the Roman Aqueduct being the most prominent.

Roman Aqueduct: Two-tiered wonder

Built during the Roman era in the year 50 AD, a two-tiered aqueduct is one of the most remarkable structures in Segovia and is also the reason why the city bagged the UNESCO World Heritage tag.

The enormous structure that literally towers over the city-centre, stands at almost 29 m above the ground, almost the same as a 12-storeyed tower. Its 221 pillars carry the entire structure, 813 m in length, consisting of four straight segments and two superimposed arcades.

One of the most surprising elements about the aqueduct, beyond its designs, physical features and dimensions, is its state of preservation, almost 2,000 years after it was built. It is said to be one of the few most well-preserved Roman-era monuments in the world. In fact, similar aqueducts in other parts of Spain survive in bits and pieces in cities like Sevilla or Toledo.

From up close, one can see the perfection of civil engineering skills of the epoch, when even without using any mortar or other adhesive material, blocks, each weighing 2 tonnes or so, were placed on top of each other and the fact that the aqueduct has withstood all the vagaries of weather and still stands as firm today as it must have done when constructed. The portion of the aqueduct in the city centre is just a small part as the entire construction runs for at least another 14 km, leading the way towards the hills that surround Segovia.

Back in the city centre, today, Plaza del Azoguejo square and the areas around it, present a unique mélange of the ancient, the medieval and the modern, as the aqueduct is surrounded by numerous structures dating from various eras and perhaps that’s what makes Segovia so unique as one can retrace the transition of the city during various civilisations over the past 2,000 years.

We took the stairs that zig-zagged to the top of the aqueduct, which not only offered a bird’s eye view of the city centre, but almost the entire lay of the land in and around Segovia, with mountains rising high at a fair distance away from the city.

Today, the city centre is brimming with vibrancy and remains lively almost round the clock as the square and the monuments all around now boast many restaurants and cafés that attract tourists and residents at any given point of the day.

Just next to the aqueduct lies the old Jewish Quarter, defined by its narrow lanes, paved with cobblestones and a mix of old and rather recent buildings. There is also a large synagogue where prayers are offered even today.

The signs of Segovia having been a multi-cultural centre for centuries are visible even here as right next to the Jewish Quarter, various Catholic churches dating from different eras stand close by. I was intrigued by a very peculiar form of architecture and design that I could see in various parts of Segovia, so I turned to Marta to unravel the mystery.

“Some monuments in Segovia reflect the Mudéjar architecture, a form of architecture, influenced by Islamic art, which prevailed in the Christian territories in the region in the 12th century. One of the best examples of the Mudéjar architecture can be seen in the ceilings of the Alcazar as well as in the facades of various streets. Mudéjars were Muslims living in Christian territories in Spain after the Christian reconquest of the Iberian peninsula,” explained Marta.

“Mudéjar architecture essentially used cheaper materials like bricks and wood. Another illustration of the Mudéjar work is seen in the facades of streets which display Esgrafiado, a characteristic decorative way that the Muslim artisans of the epoch specialised in. It was in different materials like plaster, but with different colours. In order to retain the original and uniform look of the town, even today, when houses are renovated this form of art is retained,” she added.

The Alcázar

After a comprehensive visit to the Roman wonder, where I was literally overwhelmed by the knowledge that Marta seemed to share, we made our way to the sight that had actually caught my fancy, while driving to Segovia, the Alcázar de Segovia.

Built on top of a hill, at the confluence of the Eresma and Clamores rivers, the first reference to the Alcazar dates to the 12th century. As it sat on the highest point, giving clear views over vast tracts of the valleys below and thus an ideal military fortress. According to historians, it was first used as a residence by King Alfonso VIII.

Over the past 800 years, the Alcazar has undergone several modifications, with the earliest coming in the 13th century itself and over the decade successive rulers got their architects to give the Castle a Gothic appearance, which has stayed till today.

As with any royal residence and a military fort, the Alcazar, too, has many distinct buildings and numerous secret passages that not only connect the buildings to each other, but also provide escape routes.

The Castle has several princely private rooms as well as large public halls where the kings held their courts and carried out their royal duties.

In many ways, the palatial rooms and their exquisite décor immediately transported me to the magnificent palaces and forts of Rajasthan, where lavishly decorated rooms still recount the tales of the era gone by.

The most stunning views for me were rooms with gold plated ceilings bordering beautifully engraved art-works. In a room, the walls carry portraits of many kings with a brief description of each. In another room, I could see a royal bed, well-made, as if ready to receive the King once again. There were also meeting rooms for the King and his court, with long tables and high-backed chairs all along.

Many of the rooms had marvelous engravings on the walls and the ceiling, and also stained glass windows, with portraits of various rulers and their family members. Embroidered tapestries adorned the walls in almost every room.

Despite the passage of centuries since their construction, many parts of the Castle and its interiors retain their stately looks, with ornamental ceilings and numerous artefacts.

Besides seeing its well-decorated interiors and getting a feel of its rich and significant role in Spanish history, one of the biggest plus points of visiting the Alcazar is of course the magnificent views that stretch for several km in all the directions, including the other parts of Segovia itself. One should also not miss out on climbing the tower here as it offers outstanding views of the church of Vera Cruz and El Parral monastery.

And I found out at the end of my tour of the castle that it was not only me who thought the town had a fairytale look to it. Even Walt Disney thought so. Marta told me that it is believed that the Alcazar was also the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

After the fascinating visit to the Alcazar, we were both famished and sat down for lunch in Mesón De Cándido, one of the most reputed restaurants in Segovia. It is located right next to the Aqueduct.

We went for a five-course meal, starting with the obligatory salad, that was followed by some cold-cuts and crisp bread sticks. Next on the table was the main dish, the Cándido styled Cochinillo, aroasted suckling pig, fed just on milk. And of course there is dessert and the coffee to round up a delicious and hearty meal.

Segovia Cathedral

Though a fulfilling lunch, it was rapid by leisurely Spanish standards, we both wondered whether we had time to fit something else in our itinerary before we headed back to Madrid.

We did not have to wonder for long or look hard as the answer stood almost right there in front of us, the glorious Gothic Cathedral of Segovia that seemed to beckon us, just as it has beckoned millions of believers over the five centuries of its existence.

I am not particularly religious, but I do like spending time in spiritual places and the Cathedral proved to be one such haven of peace and tranquility.

Marta explained to me about the Cathedral’s magnificent architecture reflects the late Gothic style as its construction began in the year 1525, during the reign of Carlos V. As it was late in the afternoon, the summer sun shone brightly, giving the numerous stained-glass windows in the Cathedral a mystical, almost holy glow.

All over the cathedral the ceiling has beautifully engraved designs and is lined by scores of stained glass windows. There is a lot of work in gold-leaf in various parts of the Cathedral, whose walls have been decorated with portraits and carvings of many of the saints ordained by the Catholic Church.

By the time we finished the visit, we had just about enough time to indulge in some shopping. Initially, I thought I would pick up some souvenirs, but when I saw the good quality and variety of goods available, I quickly added a Spanish cardigan and a hat to my list.

After some brisk shopping, I got into the cab to head to the railway station for my train to Madrid. And as I bid goodbye to Marta, I realised that the short day in Segovia had left me with dozens of souvenirs. Not just those from the shopping, but mainly from the beautiful time that I had while exploring the fairytale town.