The Parador of Benavente is at the top of the old town and so we took many little walks round Benavente.
Casa de Solita
The Casa de Solita was built c.1904 by Segundo Vilorio Escarda for Felipe Gonzalez Gomez. It is situated next to the La Mota gardens and enjoys views over the countryside from the upper floors. It was donated to the town in after the owner’s death and now houses a library and is used for exhibitions and cultural events. It is absolutely delightful to visit, but I am not sure I could live with all the interior decoration!
A beautiful, if somewhat surprising Art Deco doorway greets you on the first floor. After that almost all the ceilings are decorated, and many of the walls. The floors are also patterned.
The Japanese room was apparently intended for the ladies of the house…
The old town
There was something around every corner: the Old Theatre, the Plaza del Grano, a contemporary frontage to a bank, and of course a cafe!
Hospital de la Piedad was originally a pilgrim hostel dating from the early 16th century – Benavente is on one of the many pilgrim routes to Santiago. Today it is a home for retired people and closed to the public.
Nighttimes were very quiet in the old town…
A glimpse of the new Benavente
A wide new road surrounds the town, with blocks of flats and plenty of services. The poster offering hospital services was … startling.
We enjoyed several walks round Benavente, just enjoying being in a relatively quiet Spanish town as very low-key tourists.