Fuentidueña de Tajo Castle, Fuentidueña de Tajo, Spain

Fuentidueña de Tajo Castle is a large, irregular building standing on a hill which dominates the Town and the Tagus River. It is believed to have been built during the 12th century and has been extended and rebuilt later on in the 14th century. It is related to the Kings, Alfonso VI and Alfonso VIII.

It still has a wall and part of the cylindrical towers on the sides. The two sections composing it are separated by an interior moat. It is still possible to see the Homage Tower opposite the Town.This castle was the Headquarters of the Kingdom in the time of Da Urraca, wife of Alfonso I the Warrior; legend has it that at night she used to walk through the hidden corridors to visit the Moors.

The provincial Governor, Pedro Manrique, was imprisoned in this Castle by order of Juan II. Álvaro de Luna, Marquis of Villena, was also made prisoner for his discrepancies with the Order of Santiago; he later became the proprietor of the Castle.

User Reviews

Csar YP (13 months ago)
The ruins and the environment are very well cared for, the initiative of the town to keep it clean and in good condition is great.

Pedro A. Morón (2 years ago)
Ruins with ease of access, surely they contain more history than they reveal, good viewpoint for photographs and a good climb for training

Angel García Delgado (2 years ago)
Beautiful viewpoint. If you have a drone, it is a permitted flight zone.

Bernadette Trinidad (3 years ago)
It's a ruin of an old castle...there's nothing much to see. But I picked up some quartz along the pathway...

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Photo from Flickr, copyright larrywkoester

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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.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

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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