Looming large above the small town of Albuquerque, 38km north of Badajoz, is the intact Castillo de la Luna. The centrepiece of a complex frontier defence system of forts, the castle was built on the site of its Muslim predecessor in the 13th century and subsequently expanded. From the top, views take in the Portuguese frontier (the Portuguese actually took the town for a few years in the early 18th century).
Among many curiosities is a hole set in the wall of one of the towers. It was used by the castle’s masters as a toilet – sending an unpleasant message to hostile forces below when under siege.
