{"id":2408,"date":"2026-02-27T11:23:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/?p=2408"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:23:22","slug":"interesting-things-to-see-in-leon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/interesting-things-to-see-in-leon\/","title":{"rendered":"Interesting things to see in Leon"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/interesting-things-to-see-in-leon\/#The_Cathedral_Mole_and_the_Rooster_of_San_Isidoro\" >The Cathedral Mole and the Rooster of San Isidoro<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/interesting-things-to-see-in-leon\/#Gaudis_Trace_and_the_Contemporary_%E2%80%9CMole%E2%80%9C\" >Gaud\u00ed\u2019s Trace and the Contemporary &#8220;Mole&#8220;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/interesting-things-to-see-in-leon\/#Plaza_del_Grano_and_the_Roman_Sewer_System\" >Plaza del Grano and the Roman Sewer System<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/interesting-things-to-see-in-leon\/#The_Man_Who_%E2%80%9CFlies%E2%80%9D_Over_Calle_Ancha\" >The Man Who &#8220;Flies&#8221; Over Calle Ancha<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/interesting-things-to-see-in-leon\/#A_Royal_Experience_at_My_Palace_Leon\" >A Royal Experience at My Palace Leon<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p><strong>Leon<\/strong> is much more than its imposing Cathedral or its Basilica of San Isidoro; it is a city where history has left behind small breadcrumbs in the form of anecdotes, legends, and hidden corners. If you are planning a visit and want to go beyond the conventional guides, there are many <strong>curious things to see in Leon<\/strong> that will make you look up, look down, and, above all, pay much closer attention to every stone along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Cathedral_Mole_and_the_Rooster_of_San_Isidoro\"><\/span><strong>The Cathedral Mole and the Rooster of San Isidoro<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s start by looking up. If you enter the <strong>Cathedral<\/strong> through the Door of San Juan, you will see a <strong>dark, dry skin<\/strong> hanging there. Legend has it that it belonged to a <strong>malignant mole<\/strong> that destroyed at night what the stonemasons built by day, until the people of <strong>Leon<\/strong> hunted it down. Although we now know it is the skin of a leatherback sea turtle, the story remains a local icon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nearby, at the Royal Collegiate Church of <strong>San Isidoro<\/strong>, the star is a <strong>weathercock rooster<\/strong>. For centuries, it was thought to be a simple piece of metal, but recent studies revealed it is a <strong>Persian-Sasanian bronze piece<\/strong> from the 6th century, making it one of the oldest and most well-traveled objects in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gaudis_Trace_and_the_Contemporary_%E2%80%9CMole%E2%80%9C\"><\/span><strong>Gaud\u00ed\u2019s Trace and the Contemporary &#8220;Mole<\/strong>&#8220;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is impossible to talk about <strong>curious things to see in Leon<\/strong> without mentioning <strong>Casa Botines<\/strong>. Beyond being one of the <strong>few works by Antoni Gaudi outside of Catalonia<\/strong>, it hides a secret that was discovered almost by accident: during a restoration in 1950, a lead tube was found inside the statue of Saint George containing the <strong>original blueprints of the building<\/strong> signed by the architect\u2014a &#8220;message in a bottle&#8221; that waited decades to be found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Plaza_del_Grano_and_the_Roman_Sewer_System\"><\/span><strong>Plaza del Grano and the Roman Sewer System<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To feel the medieval <strong>Leon<\/strong>, you must go to <strong>Plaza del Grano<\/strong>. It is curious not for what is new, but for what it preserves: its original cobblestone pavement and its central drainage system. It is, quite possibly, the spot that best preserves the atmosphere of the <strong>markets of yesteryear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, if you walk along the <strong>Cerca<\/strong> (the city wall), look at the plaques on the ground. <strong>Leon<\/strong> was the camp for the <strong>Legio VI Victrix<\/strong> and the <strong>Legio VII Gemina<\/strong>, and even today, beneath modern buildings, the layout of the Roman sewers still functions in some areas, linking the imperial past with everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Man_Who_%E2%80%9CFlies%E2%80%9D_Over_Calle_Ancha\"><\/span><strong>The Man Who &#8220;Flies&#8221; Over Calle Ancha<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you walk down <strong>Calle Ancha<\/strong> and look up toward the balconies of a modernist building, you will see a <strong>human figure that appears to be leaping into the void<\/strong>. Don&#8217;t be alarmed; it is a sculpture known as the <strong>&#8220;Aviator,&#8221;<\/strong> a tribute to the city&#8217;s aviation history, which boasts one of the <strong>oldest military flight academies<\/strong> in Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Royal_Experience_at_My_Palace_Leon\"><\/span><strong>A Royal Experience at My Palace Leon<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To discover these mysteries, you need a starting point that lives up to the city&#8217;s history. At <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/\">My Palace Leon<\/a><\/strong>, we are as passionate about Leonese heritage as you are. Our hotel is located in a building that respects the stately essence of the capital, offering you a peaceful refuge right in the city center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Staying with us puts you just steps away from all these secrets, with the added value of a concierge service that can reveal many more <strong>curious <a href=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/what-see-in-leon\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/what-see-in-leon\/\">things to see in Leon<\/a><\/strong> that don&#8217;t appear in tourist brochures. After a day of tracking down legends, <strong>our spa and designer rooms<\/strong> are the place where history meets 21st-century comfort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Leon is much more than its imposing Cathedral or its Basilica of San Isidoro; it is a city where history has left behind small breadcrumbs&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2409,"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2408\/revisions\/2409"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypalaceleon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}