Was Paquita Salasthe popular television comedy, the one that put on the table the name of Tarazona in a gastronomic odyssey in which its protagonist, almost as if she were Scarlett O’Hara in gone With the Windproclaimed: “This is the last torrezno I will eat in Tarazona”
However, There were already many torreznos before in Tarazona and there was also a lot of Tarazona. This town of barely 10,000 inhabitants, located in the west of the province of Zaragoza, borders Navarra, and is crossed by the Queiles River.
Transcendental during the Reconquistalocated very close to the Ebro River, the historical designs of Tarazona are closely linked to the Crown of Aragon and the crossroads that it represented, due to its location, between the Aragonese territories and the Kingdom of Navarra. However, its history goes back much further and it also enjoys the reputation of being one of the oldest dioceses in the Iberian Peninsula, as it has been an episcopal see since the 5th century, a milestone within the reach of very few bishoprics.
Next to the imposing Cathedral of Santa María de la Huerta de Tarazonawhich began to be built in the 12th century in Gothic style, although it would be completed in the 16th century, already in the middle of the Renaissance, it is worth highlighting other elements that circulate between the sacred and the civil.
This is the case of the episcopal palace itself, with a strong Renaissance imprint, but evolved since the medieval muslim fortress formats and the residence of the first kings of Aragon, which shares those Mudejar details popular in Aragon such as those found in the Aljafería Palace.
Also, if we talk about civil architecture, no less relevant is approaching the Old bullring, with an octagonal floor plan and full of balconies that today are homes. Also notable is the Town Hall, also Renaissance, located within the historic center.
In this confluence of civil and ecclesiastical architecture, the details in hermitages and churches follow one another, the examples of the Church of Santa María Magdalena, one of the best examples of Aragonese Mudejar art and whose bell tower stands out in the center of Tarazona.
The mosque of Tórtoles does not detract either, one of the few that was built during the Christian period, although currently it is a church. However, both on the ceilings and on the walls there remain elements that remind us of the past as a mosque.
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And, if we talk about eating, the best thing is to let yourself be dazzled by some traditional Aragon recipes and the grill, as happens at the El Galeón restaurant or at the Mesón Asador Queiles, where they worship the ternasco. And yes, there are also torreznos.
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