To judge by the first sight of its outskirts, Leon is like any other modern Spanish city: a few smoke-belching factories and a crop of ugly apartment blocks. But as you move nearer to the older heart of the city, there is an increasing sense of excitement: you begin to realise that you are on the threshold of something special. You may catch a glimpse of the cathedral, you may take a wrong turning (no — you will almost certainly take a wrong turning!) and find yourself nosing up a tiny one-way street past ancient houses and through marvellous arcaded squares that are reminiscent of Venice.
If you are lucky, your ultimate destination in Leon will be the San Marcos Hostal, a hotel that will take your breath away with its serene magnificence. But whether you’re staying or simply passing through, your visit to Leon will be one to treasure.
What to see
Leon Cathedral – When the guide-books compare Leon cathedral to Chartres, it sounds a little too much like journalistic hyperbole. Leon’s cathedral might be impressive, but as good as Chartres —surely not? At first glimpse, the cathedral cannot match Chartres’ massive airship-hangar bulk. But once through the remarkable portals, the point of the comparison becomes clear.
The stained-glass windows produce a breath taking swirl of colour. The guide-books tell you that the cathedral has 125 windows and 57 oculi producing an area of glass totalling 1,200 square metres — in fact, so much glass and so little wall that the cathedral is in danger of collapsing. But nothing can prepare you for their full dramatic effect. Leon cathedral is unique in Spain, for its windows as, much as for its clean-cut elegance.
Basilica of San Isidoro – San Isidoro is built into the old city walls, an impressive chunk of which can still be seen behind the basilica. The Royal Pantheon and Treasury, whose entrance is to the left of the church, contain some exceptional 12th-century frescoes illustrating New Testament, hunting and pastoral scenes. According to Michelin, the capitals show ‘profane boxing scenes and grotesques’, but we couldn’t find them nor would the exceptionally proper lady guide point them out to us — perhaps you might have better luck.
San Marcos Monastery – The magnificent 100-metre facade of San Marcos Monastery barely prepares you for its even more astonishing interior. As this is the best hotel in Leon and certainly one of the five best in Spain, suffice to say that even if you aren’t fortunate enough to stay here, you should certainly visit San Marcos both to enjoy its sumptuous elegance and to see the small but touchingly beautiful 11th-century ivory Carrizo Crucifix displayed in the archaeological museum.
Nearby
Puerto de Pajares N, 60km by road – For those travelling south to Leon from Oviedo, the build-up is suitably dramatic, particularly if you have elected to forgo the comforts of the motorway and instead take the old road up through the Pajares pass. Happily the motorway seems to have filtered off the heavy traffic, leaving the mountain drive free and easy for the tourist.
The early stages from Oviedo take you through rough, untidy coal-mining areas, where mighty slag-heaps and dark satanic mills scar the countryside. (It’s remarkably similar to the Welsh mining valleys.) But after leaving Campomanes, the road begins to climb into the mountains, offering spectacular views at every turn. During the autumn, when the sweet chestnuts, ash and oak trees change colour, the lower slopes of the hills are ablaze with red and gold.
At the very top of the Pajares pass (1379m) stands a Parador, closed down and looking sadly forlorn now that it’s by-passed by the motorway; but you can park here and look back down the road you have just climbed, and over the jumble of mountain peaks. The drive down the other side of the mountains towards Leon is quick and easy. The change in the countryside is striking; the verdant hills are now replaced by scorched wheat fields. Even when the weather on the Oviedo side is overcast and chilly, here the sun may be burning hot.
Astorga SW, 50km by road. – The next major stop after Leon for the pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, Astorga was well known for the excellence of its fairs. Set in pretty, verdant countryside, the city is worth visiting for its cathedral and a bizarre episcopal palace, which looks like Sleeping Beauty’s castle and was built in 1889 by Antonio Gaudi, best known for his outstanding architectural work in Barcelona. The town is also famous for the Maragatos people who live in the surrounding countryside; they are a reclusive race believed to be descended from Berbers and Visigoths — you may be fortunate enough to see some in the town dressed in their distinctive costume (men in baggy trousers and women in brightly coloured shawls and full skirts).
Valporquero Caves N, 35km by road. – Dramatic formations of stalactites — including a stalactite star; all stained an extraordinary variety of colours and tones by the mineral oxides in the stone.
Where to stay
San Marcos Hostal – Unless you’re exceptionally well informed on these things, you probably won’t have heard of Leon’s San Marcos hotel. Once you’ve seen it, you’re unlikely ever to forget it. Its official category is five-star grande luxe and Michelin gives it a rating of five red gables — and this in an area where any red rating is noteworthy. Classifications and categorisations are pitifully inadequate when it comes to conveying the attraction of the San Marcos. One writer describes it as one of the five best hotels in the world. You would have to agree with that; but the San Marcos is more than simply a hotel, it is an experience — for a night or two you are allowed to indulge yourself in magnificence.
There may be some hotels that offer greater luxury than the San Marcos; there are few that can match it for style and grandeur. The core of the hotel is a 12th-century monastery where soldier friars helped protect pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela. (The hotel’s chambermaids are dressed in what look like nurses’ uniforms, presumably in the tradition of the hotel’s role as a pilgrim’s hospital.) The foyer is a large hall decorated with paintings and other art treasures; large windows reveal delightful cloisters filled with sculptures and a variety of Roman archaeological discoveries.
