Thirteen kilometres south of Pastrana, signposted off the Tarancón road (turn right just after passing the nuclear power plant), Recópolis is an intriguing ruin in a lovely situation above Río Tajo. The word Visigoth usually calls up images of horned-helmeted lager louts urinating on the dying embers of Roman civilisation, but it’s not a fair portrayal of these skilled metalworkers and early Christian monarchs. After uniting most of the peninsula under his rule, King Leovigildo, whose capital was at Toledo, founded Recópolis in AD 578 as a planned walled city named after his son Recaredo. You can see the royal palace complex, workshops and the main street, though later modifications by the Moors and others muddy the waters slightly. There’s an interpretation centre and good information in English throughout. Admission includes a nature trail and entrance to the nearby ruined castle at Zorita de los Canes.
