Gardens of the Alcázar Fortress of the Christian Monarchs

The Fortress gardens were laid on three clearly differentiated terraces with the following design: on the top terrace, two large pools collect water from the mountains and channel it to the lower terrace, accessed via a large flight of steps. This terrace displays three large ponds arranged in a line, one after the other, and flanked by different colours of plants and cypress hedges. On the side of the terrace closest to the old wall, boxwood planted in a grid pattern provides the framework for a series of rose gardens. These are adorned by various statues whose solemnity rivals the shafts of the pruned cypresses. Two of the statues are of Isabella and Ferdinand, the Catholic Monarchs, as it was here that they granted an audience to Christopher Columbus to hear about his project for a new route to the Indies. The middle terrace remains to be seen. It is situated at the southern end, near the two large pools on the top terrace. This garden also has a grid design with boxwood hedges, citrus trees and a fountain in the centre.