Coria is a historically significant city, located on a strategically important hill above the Río Alagón. Before the Romans came in the 2nd BC, the Vettones already settled here. Under the Visigoths, the city was already the seat of a bishopric. The Medieval city wall and the bridge as well as the cathedral are signs of the historic past of Coria.
The belltower of the cathedral was destroyed during the Lisbon earthquake in 1755 and later rebuilt. At the cloister religious artwork is displayed, including the table cloth of the Last Supper!
We could also climb the church tower, which got a little adventurous, after the nice warden at the cloister told us to use a little gate to go even higher up. Something which is normally not allowed, he told us.
The medieval bridge once crossed the Río Alagón, but the course of the river shifted several hundred meters in 1755, when the Lisbon earthquake hit this area severely.
The Alagón will meet the Tajo at Alcántara, where an incredible Roman bridge spans the river. This is our destination. More on our next post!