Ledesma

Member of Los Pueblos más Bonitos de España

Lancastermerrin88Vista general de Ledesma (Salamanca, Castilla y León, España)CC BY-SA 4.0
DiscastoAyuntamiento de Ledesma (15 de abril de 2017, Ledesma, provincia de Salamanca)CC BY-SA 4.0
VelascodeledesmaHospital de San José CC BY-SA 3.0
RamajeroIglesia de Santa Elena (Ledesma)CC BY-SA 4.0
Victor CardosoPuenteMocho Ledesma CC BY-SA 3.0
Lancastermerrin88Sepulcro de Sancho de Castilla, nieto de Alfonso X. Iglesia de Sta. María la Mayor de Ledesma CC BY-SA 4.0
VelascodeledesmaTorre de Santa María la Mayor de Ledesma CC BY-SA 3.0
Envision StudioGeneral view of Ledesma CC BY-SA 2.0
Frayle from Salamanca, EspañaThe storm of flowers (41796555785)Public domain
Lancastermerrin88El río Tormes a su paso por Ledesma CC BY-SA 4.0
Lancastermerrin88Vista general de Ledesma y de su puente romano CC BY-SA 4.0
Vanbasten 23Biblioteca Pública Municipal de Ledesma CC BY-SA 3.0

A huge granite outcrop carries Ledesma, settled since a Vettonian hillfort of the 7th century BC and known to the Romans as Bletisa. Its fortress, churches and late-medieval palaces earned it listing as a historic site in 1975, and the surrounding dehesa of holm oaks raises cattle for meat and the bullring. Corpus Christi is its best-known festival.

Highlights

Santa María la Mayor, Hispano-Flemish Gothic with herringbone rib vaults
Puente Mocho, a five-arched bridge on the old road to Zamora (ES)
Plaza de la Fortaleza, with vaulted chambers and powder stores beneath
A Roman boundary stone of Augustus set in Santa María's sacristy wall
Corpus Christi, the town's main festival

Text adapted from Wikipedia (Ledesma (Salamanca) (ES), Ledesma, Castile and León, Ledesma (Salamanca) (IT)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Population: 1,480

Things to see

Church of Santa Elena (ES)
Church of Santa María la Mayor (ES)

Events through the year

Las Águedas Religious · FebruaryThe women of the town take the lead
Holy Week Religious · Palm Sunday to Easter SundayDaily processions, ending with the Encuentro on Easter Sunday
Lunes y Martes de Aguas Food and wine · Monday and Tuesday after the Easter octaveFamilies picnic with typical dishes in the countryside, around Puente Mocho
Ascension Thursday agri-food fair Fairs and markets · Ascension ThursdayRecalls old livestock markets, near the fortress and castle
Fiestas del Corpus Christi Religious · Seven days around Corpus Christi (May or June)Procession with the 1719 silver carriage, bull runs on horseback, bullfights
Feast of Nuestra Señora del Carmen Religious · Sunday after 16 JulyThe patron is carried up from her hermitage to Santa María la Mayor
Minicorpus Seasonal · First weekend of AugustSummer festivities with heifer runs and bullfights
September fairs Fairs and markets · Early SeptemberFarm machinery, dehesa livestock, children's games and cabezudos
Las Calendas Seasonal · Night of 23 to 24 DecemberSix church bells rung hard; aguardiente and mantecados in Plaza Mayor

Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.

Adapted from Wikipedia (Ledesma (Salamanca)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Local food & wine

Rosquillas ledesminasSweetRing-shaped sweet biscuits, the town's star product
deramaenramaPatatas meneás CC BY 2.0
Patatas meneadas (ES)Dish
TamorlanHornazo (Salamaca)-Cerca01 CC BY-SA 3.0
HornazoBread and pasta
Lechazo and kidDish
TenchLocal produceRiver fish from the municipality
TamorlanPerrunillas-Salamanca CC BY 3.0
Perrunillas (ES)Sweet

Adapted from Wikipedia (Ledesma (Salamanca)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to sleep

2 places to stay within 3 km

Hotels 1
Campsites 1

Thermal baths nearby

Hot spring: Poza de Buenamadre · ~40 min by car

Nearby member villages

Mogarraz · 66 km
Miranda del Castañar · 67 km
La Alberca · 67 km
Ciudad Rodrigo · 70 km
Candelario · 83 km