Soria is a beautiful town in the heart of Spain. The time is stopped there and its ascetic grandeur — “somber oaks, harsh stony wastelands, bald peaks” — still retains the vision of Antonio Machado, one of the great lyric poets of the 20th century.

Poems from Machado are written on plaques on the walls of buildings. Although he only lived in the town for five years, it influences his most important work.

The monastery of San Juan de Duero was refashioned into a monastic complex by the Hospitallers, a group founded during the First Crusade.

Gormaz was once one of the largest castles in Europe. Situated on a hilltop with outstanding views to the horizon and the Duero on both sides, it was once a Muslim fortress.