Fabulously picturesque and made famous by the massive Roman aquaduct that slices through the center of town terminating at the entrance to the old quarter, Segovia preserves a many-layered legacy. Riding a long narrow slope of the Guadarrama plateau, the city is fortified by 15th century walls. The wall, built on Roman foundations, contains at intervals 86 semicircular towers and three impressive gates. A well-favored hideaway of the Castillian kings, the city’s Alcazar is one of the most magnificent in Spain. Work on the castle began at the end of the 11th century and continued into the 16th as each successor to the throne commissioned a new course of building. In 1474, however, amid the glories of the Alcazar and the triumphs of old Castille, Isabella was here proclaimed Queen of Spain.