A Castle with Historical Weight
The Castle of Villanueva de Cañedo dates back to the 11th century, as a fortress military , built to save the rear of the reconquest.
The lack of defensive orography precipitated the construction of the enormous moat that surrounds the castle.
Catholic Kings
Already in the fifteenth century it belonged to the Catholic Monarchs, who used it as provisioning fortress for their troops before taking the village of Toro in the war of succession of Isabel the Catholic against Juana la Beltraneja.
Alonso de Fonseca
In 1478 Alonso de Fonseca y Quijada, bishop of Avila, acquired the castle and transformed the fortress into a palace full of unique architectural details.
His goal was to make the castle his usual residence to live with his lover Doña Teresa de las Cuevas, away from the gossip of nearby towns.
Legitimized his children by the Catholic Monarchs, the eldest son, Gutierre, became the first Lord of Villanueva de Cañedo.
From then on, popular legend calls the castle of Good Love, in honor of the Bishop's feelings towards Doña Teresa.
Agricultural Warehouse
After the death of Don Alonso and Doña Teresa, the castle is not inhabited again and is soon used as an agricultural warehouse. This use will remain for several centuries.
the neglect restoration causes the towers to decay and the loss of the defensive wall. The surrounding inhabitants take the stones to build their houses.
The interior is in better condition, except for the coffered ceilings on the upper floor, which were lost due to a fire in 1903.
Restoration in 1958
In a considerable state of abandonment, the castle is acquired by the Fernández de Trocóniz Family, carrying out an important restoration that returns the castle to its former splendor.
It is a family of hoteliers. At that time they ran three hotels: Fonda Trocóniz (in Miranda de Ebro), the Gran Hotel of Logroño and the Gran Hotel of Salamanca.
The acquisition and restoration of the castle was done with a view to converting it into a hostel, but it was not finally opened it's doors to the public as such at that time.
Accommodation
Due to the high cost of maintenance, the family decided in 2003, to convert the castle into accommodation. In this way, the building could be self-sufficient and all travelers would be able to enjoy it.
The works were carried out with great care to respect the authenticity of the building as much as possible and thus be able to offer the traveler a unique experience.
Opening the doors as Posada has allowed not only to keep the castle in a perfect shape so that future generations can also enjoy it, but now we can all inhabit the castle and we can imagine what life was like in other times.
