Baeza

Another mind-boggling collection of historic landmarks

You'd never guess this town of just 16,000 could hold such an impressive array of landmarks. But such is the concentration that Baeza together with nearby Úbeda have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Highlights to visit include the Plaza del Pópulo, with its Plateresque Audiencia Civil (today home to the local tourist office); the Arch of Villalar; the Fountain of the Lions, built with material from the ruins of the ancient Iberian settlement Cástulo; the portico-lined Old Market Square, the town's hub; the Church of the Holy Cross; the Jabalquinto Palace; and the university - back in the day, one of the most important in Spain, today a secondary school.