Toledo is a municipality 70km south of Madrid. It was declared a World Heritage site in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish empire.
A walk around Toledo gives a feeling of its rich history and tradition, art, culture and architecture.
Its very compact and pedestrian-friendly.
The Toledo cathedral is ranked among the greatest Gothic structures in Europe.
Toledo is also known for its metal and steel industry and for their great tradition in making swords, knives and armors.
Aside from this, Toledo is the world's largest center of production of Damascene. Damascene, or "Damasquinado de Oro or Damasquino" is the art of decorating non-precious metals with gold. Damascenes items generally display 2 distinct traditional types of patterns: Arabesque (geometrical designs) and Renaissance (birds and flowers). These patterns are obtained by engraving deep, patterned cuts into steel and then placing a gold foil into the lines of the design. We were lucky enough to witness how it was done, and even luckier to take a souvenir back home. Its incredible craftsmanship!
One of the most important paintings ever done, our curator and guide says, is found in Toledo. It is the painting done by El Greco, The Burial of the Conde de Orgaz, oil on canvas (1586-1588). It is currently housed in the Church of Santo Tome.
What a great place Toledo is. Hasta la proxima Don Quixote!
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