Badajoz, Spain

The valley of the Río Guadiana waters rich farmland between Mérida and BADAJOZ. The main reason for visiting this provincial capital, traditional gateway to Portugal and the scene of innumerable sieges, is still to get across the border. It's not somewhere to stay very long – crude modern development has largely overrun what must once have been an attractive old centre, and few monuments have survived – but food and lodging are cheap, and it does serve as a useful stopover.

The city's troubled history is its main claim to fame. Founded by the Moors in 1009, it was taken by the Christian armies of Alfonso IX in 1230, used as a base by Felipe II against the Portuguese in 1580, stormed by British forces under the Duke of Wellington in 1812 and taken by Franco's Nationalist troops in 1936.

At the heart of old Badajoz is the Plaza de España and the squat thirteenth-century Catedral, a fortress-like building, prettified a little during the Renaissance by the addition of a portal and embellishment of the tower.

Northeast of the square, c/de San Juan leads to Plaza Alta, once an elegant arcaded concourse and what remains of the town's fortress, the Alcazaba. This is largely in ruins but preserves Moorish entrance gates and fragments of a Renaissance palace inside. Defending the townward side is the octagonal Moorish Torre del Aprendiz, or Torre Espantaperros ("dog-scarer" – the dogs in question being Christians).

The city's other main distinguishing feature is the Río Guadiana, spanned by the graceful Puente de Palmas, or Puente Viejo. The bridge was designed by Herrera (architect of El Escorial) as a fitting first impression of Spain, and leads into the city through the Puerta de Palmas, once a gate in the walls, now standing alone as a sort of triumphal arch.