Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus and Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
358 km
Riding-time estimate
4 h 20
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
358 km from Salamanca to Salamanca, about 4 h 20 of riding. On the way it passes Hermitage of San Segundo, Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante and back through Hermitage of San Segundo. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,350 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus
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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus is where the day begins. Next is Hermitage of San Segundo.
2. Hermitage of San Segundo
Outside the great medieval walls of Ávila, down by the river Adaja, a small Romanesque church stands among trees, quiet and often overlooked by the crowds heading for the walls and the cathedral. The Hermitage of San Segundo is dedicated to the first bishop of Ávila, according to tradition one of seven early missionaries sent to Spain, and it holds an alabaster statue of the saint at prayer, carved in the sixteenth century by the sculptor Juan de Juni. The building itself is simple and austere, with a beautiful carved doorway, and it is a lovely, peaceful place to visit. It is part of the UNESCO listing of the Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Hermitage of San Segundo comes up about 104 km into the recorded legs. Next is Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante.
3. Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante
Most people who come to San Lorenzo de El Escorial only see the monastery, that vast granite grid Philip II raised in the second half of the sixteenth century as palace, basilica, library and royal tomb all at once. A short walk below it, through terraced gardens and woodland, sits something far more human in scale. The Casita del Infante, also called the Casita de Arriba, was designed by Juan de Villanueva in the late eighteenth century for the Infante Gabriel, a son of Carlos III, as a place to retreat, play music and escape the endless etiquette of court. Its sibling, the Casita del Príncipe, lies down the hill near the town of El Escorial and was built for the future Carlos IV.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus to Hermitage of San Segundo
Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus → Hermitage of San Segundo is 104 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Hermitage of San Segundo to Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante
Hermitage of San Segundo → Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante to back through Hermitage of San Segundo
Subsidiary building \La Casita del Infante → back through Hermitage of San Segundo is 75 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Hermitage of San Segundo to Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus
back through Hermitage of San Segundo → Iglesia de Sancti Spiritus is 104 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.