Avila, standing just over 1,100 metres above sea level is one of the finest surviving examples of the Spanish medieval walled city. Inside the walls, having passed under what the writer Miguel de Unamuno called "stone thresholds", churches, monasteries and convents, places and squares reveal a city that appears unaffected by times passing and which even appears to enjoy defying the inexorable logic of things. Serene and powerfully beautiful!

Avila is the capital of a province just over 8,000 km² in size, with nearly 50,000 inhabitants. The climate here is typically continental with very cold winters and hot summers. Annual average temperature is 11.5ºC, though in mid-winter the temperature can easily drop to 5ºC - 10ºC below zero. However in Aug. 2006 when we visited the city, the weather is really fantastic, in the morning and night the temperature is between 12ºC - 15ºC while during the day it's about 22ºC and no humidity.

When we talk about Avila we usually comment about the famous walls, but there is much more to this city including Romanesque art, churches and majestic palaces.