Logbook · 10 places

What to see and do in Escalona

What to see and do in Escalona (Torrijos, Toledo): 10 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 4 Monuments · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 3 Historical milestones

When to go to Escalona: festival calendar

August: Festivities of la Asunción y San Roque de Escalona (15 y 16 de agosto)

How far each place is from the centre of Escalona

Castle of Escalona 600 m

Towns near Escalona

What to see in Paredes de Escalona 4.4 km · 4 places
What to see in Aldea en Cabo 4.5 km · 4 places
What to see in Almorox 6.9 km · 6 places
What to see in Nombela 8.8 km · 5 places
What to see in Hormigos 9 km · 3 places
What to see in Quismondo 10 km · 4 places
What to see in Cenicientos 12 km · 6 places
What to see in Maqueda 12 km · 9 places

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Toledo › Torrijos › Escalona

What to see and do in Escalona

Escalona
Village
Escalona is a municipality in the Torrijos comarca, in the province of Toledo, with 3,987 inhabitants (INE 2025), on a rise 30 m above the right bank of the Alberche. Reconquered by Alfonso VI, possibly in 1083, it was the head of the Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Escalona and suffered an Almoravid assault in 1136 in which all its menfolk were killed. In 1423 John II granted it to Álvaro de Luna, who turned the fortress into a palatial residence and planned the bridge over the Alberche around 1436; having fallen from grace, it withstood the 1453 siege for twenty days, led by his widow Juana Pimentel, “the sorrowful countess”. Its 15th-century Mudéjar castle-palace reached its final form under the Pacheco family, dukes from 1472, and it preserves the convent founded in the 16th century by Teresa Enríquez and a plaza del Lazarillo.
Castle of Escalona
Monument
The castle-palace of Escalona crowns a spur above the river Alberche, at the eastern edge of the Toledan town of Escalona (Castilla-La Mancha). Dating from the 15th century and built in Mudéjar style, it was the residence of don Álvaro de Luna and is considered one of the most beautiful fortresses in the province of Toledo. The enclosure, of irregular plan like Hispano-Muslim castles, had an earlier origin: it was a Roman and later a Muslim fortress, and in the 11th century, after its conquest by Alfonso VI of León, it became one of the key strongholds, together with Maqueda and Santa Olalla, for protecting the Tagus basin. It was further defended by the ravines of the Tordillos and Parra streams and a moat to the north. It was declared an architectural and artistic monument on 2 February 1922.
Medieval Walls of Escalona
Monument
Stretches and gates of the walled enclosure that surrounded the medieval town of Escalona, preserved in various sections of the historic centre and visible from the surrounding area. The defensive enclosure originally had a wall without towers, which protected the earliest settlement of the town.
Bridge over the Alberche at Escalona
Monument
Bridge over the river Alberche planned by Álvaro de Luna around 1436 at a bend in the riverbed, where it passes through Escalona. During part of the 15th century it was the only crossing point of the river between the cities of Ávila and Toledo, which gave it great strategic importance in the communications of the region.
Convent of Escalona
Monument
The convent of the Franciscan Conceptionists, also called the monastery of the Incarnation, stands in the Toledan municipality of Escalona at the initiative of Diego López Pacheco, with works begun in 1521, already in the 16th century, in the transition from Gothic to Renaissance. It was declared a historic-artistic monument of national character on 25 April 1974 and today holds the category of Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection).
Escalona in the Lazarillo de Tormes
Curiosity
The square of Escalona appears in Lazarillo de Tormes, where the ending of the blind man episode takes place, one of the most famous passages in Spanish literature.
Festivities of la Asunción y San Roque de Escalona
Activity
The main festivities of Escalona, in honour of the Virgin of the Assumption and Saint Roch, are held on 15 and 16 August, with numerous religious, bullfighting and cultural events. The municipality's festive calendar is completed with the celebration of the Immaculate Conception on 8 and 9 December.
The town of don Álvaro de Luna
Historical milestone
Juan II handed the town in 1423 to his favourite, the constable Álvaro de Luna, in exchange for Alfaro. The constable turned the fortress into a palatial residence and around 1436 planned the bridge over the Alberche, the river's only crossing between Ávila and Toledo.
The 1453 siege and the sad countess
Historical milestone
With the constable fallen from favor and executed in Valladolid, the royal troops besieged the fortress in 1453. His widow, Juana Pimentel, nicknamed the sad countess, sustained the resistance for twenty days before handing the stronghold over to the king.
Juan Pacheco, first duke
Historical milestone
In 1470 the town passed to Juan Pacheco, master of Santiago and marquis of Villena, and two years later Enrique IV granted him the ducal title. With the Pacheco the fortress and the walled enclosure reached their definitive form.