Alcázar of Toledo, Toledo, Spain

The Alcázar of Toledo was originally a Roman palace from the 3rd century, but it was restored under Charles I (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) and his son Philip II of Spain in the 1540s. In 1521, Hernán Cortés was received by Charles I at the Alcázar, following Cortes' conquest of the Aztecs.

The façades are Renaissance in style, and it has towers and crenellated defences according to a preliminary design by Alonso de Covarrubias, subsequently completed by Juan de Herrera. After the last reconstruction it became the site of the Army offices and museum.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Spain

User Reviews

Kevin Murphy (4 years ago)
You could spend hours in this place without getting bored. An amazing place for anyone with an interest in military history, particularly from 1492 to 1898.

Ace Nanter (4 years ago)
I was expecting more focus on the Castel itself. The history of Spanish military is actually very interesting but it is not what I came for. It still remains a must go of Toledo and I do recommend you to go! Maybe don't rent the audio guide though which to me didn't brought much more

Sameer Sheikh (4 years ago)
While I didn't go to the military museum, I did go to the library that was at the backside of the building. It was pretty much a standard library, nice quiet study space. It also had a very reasonable cafe on the top floor. But the best past was the absolutely stunning view you get of the town from this place. It has some nice and comfortable chairs that you can sit, read, and get one of the most spectacular views of Toledo, for free! Definitely, one of the town's hidden gems.

Veronica Muscat (4 years ago)
Go first ...as soon as you arrive at Toledo. Proper time to see everything is around 2.5 hours. Worth a visit.

ANTHONY FRIEDMAN (4 years ago)
Beautiful historic building. I didn't go inside due to the lack of time, but the architecture is impressive.

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Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

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The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

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