The church and convent of Sancti Spíritus is a Salamanca monument that people often walk past, which is a shame, because its portal is among the finest examples of the Plateresque style in the city. Plateresque comes from platero, the Spanish word for silversmith, and it describes the intricate, delicate decoration, like metalwork carved in stone, that appeared in the early sixteenth century as Gothic gave way to Renaissance taste. At Sancti Spíritus, the doorway is crowded with figures, medallions and foliage, and the building was founded as a convent of Dominican nuns, a community that still has a presence in the city.
What I enjoy about it is the way the building sits in its street. The stone is the same golden sandstone as everything else in Salamanca, but here, away from the main squares, it feels less polished and more lived in, with swifts darting in and out of the carvings in summer and cats on the steps. The street has a few small bars and a bakery, and in the morning you can hear the church bells and the clatter of shutters. Visiting times for the church are limited, and the interior is mostly accessible during services, so plan a quiet visit around that.
Salamanca's nearness to open country is a gift to riders. Ten minutes from the old centre the plain begins, with fields of wheat and barley, groves of holm oak and stone-walled paddocks, and the road rolls out ahead for miles. The Arribes del Duero, to the west, are a wild canyon country on the Portuguese border, and the Sierra de Francia, to the south, has stone villages and chestnut woods. The road to the Peña de Francia, with its mountaintop monastery, is a classic climb. Winter fog on the plain can be thick, and summer thunderstorms are violent but brief.
You will not struggle for fuel, since the city has plenty of stations and Santa Marta de Tormes and Carbajosa de la Sagrada add more. A tip for parking near the old centre is to use the underground car parks, which are secure and not too expensive, or the streets by the river. The smell of the lanes is warm stone and coffee, and the swifts and storks fill the sky above the roofs at dusk. After the church, find a small bar for a plate of croquetas and a glass of wine.