Cáceres has an old town so complete that film crews treat it as a ready-made set, and walking its streets at dusk, when the stone glows amber and the crowds have gone, you can see why. Inside the walls, built largely by the Almohads in the twelfth century, are dozens of fortified mansions, towers, churches and palaces, many built by noble families who made their fortunes in the conquest of the Americas. The towers once had battlements, but Queen Isabella ordered most of them cut down to curb the nobles' power. UNESCO listed the old town in 1986.
Highlights include the Torre de Bujaco on the Plaza Mayor, the concathedral of Santa María, the Palacio de los Golfines and the Arab cistern beneath the museum, a forest of horseshoe arches reflected in still water. Storks nest on every tower and belfry, clattering their beaks in spring. The surrounding region of Extremadura is one of the least populated in Spain, a landscape of dehesa, open oak woodland where black Iberian pigs forage for acorns, and wide plains under huge skies.
The riding in Extremadura is a joy for those who like open roads and space. The Ruta de la Plata, the old Roman route from Mérida to Astorga, runs past Cáceres, now as the A-66 motorway and the older N-630, and smaller roads lead across the dehesa to towns such as Trujillo, birthplace of Francisco Pizarro, and Guadalupe, with its monastery in the mountains. North of Cáceres, Monfragüe National Park has twisty roads and great birdwatching, with vultures, eagles and black storks. Summers are scorching, often over forty degrees, so ride early and rest in the afternoon.
Cáceres has over ninety thousand people and all the fuel, food and accommodation you could need. Park outside the walls, as the old town is mostly pedestrian, and walk in. The city is known for Torta del Casar, a creamy sheep's cheese from a nearby village, eaten by cutting off the top and scooping it out with bread, as well as Iberian ham and migas. Sit on the Plaza Mayor with a cold drink and watch the storks circle the towers.