Rota Things to Do

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This church stands out on the Rota skyline with its odd shape and towering capilla. Built in the 16th century it has a complicated mixture of architectural styles and was financed by the de Leon family. The carved choir on the interior was done by Don Diego Roldan, the renowned artist from Jerez. The treasury is also open to the public as well as the various chapels.

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There are great little plazas and small streets to wander in Rota. It is small enough that it is almost impossible to get lost and just as easy to get wrapped up in the quaint atmosphere of the old town.

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Once used by the family of Ponce de Leon, it was built on top of a Moorish fort in the 13th century. The ground floor is open to the public for free but the second floor is the current seat of the town hall and is not open for visitors. The general plan is very simple and contains a beautiful interior courtyard with a fountain. There is evidence of earlier fresco work on the walls shown with some restoration work that has been done. It also houses the office of tourism.

It is open from 10-midday and then reopens around 5pm.

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The paseos that are along the beaches are a great place to stroll and watch the activity on the beaches below. They are usually tree lined and have intermittent cafes around them. They are particularly great for watching the sun set.

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The beaches around Rota are clearly the biggest draw of locals and tourists alike. The Chorrillo and Rompidillo beaches are along the Bay of Cadiz. The water is calm and not as windy as Playa de la Costilla can be.

This pretty plaza with the palm trees is home to two ot the main attractions in Rota, the Parroquia de Nuestra Senora de la 0 and the Castillo de Luna. It's also a nice place to relax with a drink and a tapa at Bar La Concha.

The plaza is named for a Rota native who sailed with Columbus on his second voyage to the New World.

The castillo was built as a residence on the site of a 13th century Muslim ribat. Today serves as the main government building (ayuntameinto) for the city of Rota. We didn't get any decent information about the castillo because since we visited during siesta, the tourist office located inside was closed and we couldn't get any brochures. Still, the guard let us in to look at the courtyard which has beautiful ornamentation and is surely worth a look.

From the outside this church is fairly non-descript except for the pretty arched doorway, bell tower, and location on the fairly expansive Plaza Bartolome Perez. Inside is where you will be amazed at the expansive decoration in the side chapels of this gothic structure. The first thing that will come to your mind is how does a town this small have such a magnificent place of worship? At least that's what I was wondering. The last chapel on the left as you look towards the main entrance from the main altar has a definite baroque feel while the chapel next to it has more of a renaissance style. The main alter isn't nearly as ornate as the side chapels but it does have a skillfully carved set of choir stalls.

The Parroquia is a definite must-see site in Rota.

This tower has a pretty blue and white tile dome and is the remnant of the Convento de la Merced which was established in 1600 and destroyed by a hurricane in 1722.