In the city of Toledo, south-central Spain

 "Artists create out of a sense of desolation. The spirit of creation is a excruciating, intricate exploration from within the soul." -- El Greco

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(in south-central Spain) The province of Toledo, in the autonomous community in the northwest of the region of Castilla–La Mancha, is bordered by the provinces of Ávila and Madrid to the north, Cuenca to the east, Ciudad Real to the south, and Cáceres and Badajoz to the west. The city of Toledo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the capital of the province, most of which is crossed by the Tagus River and its many tributaries. In the northwest there is a mountainous area that joins the Sierra de Gredos; in the south there are the steep mountains of Toledo that separate the basin of the Tagus from that of the Guadiana; in the east lies a part of the plateau of La Mancha, which extends farther south; and in the center are wide plains that are well irrigated by the Tagus.

+ Products of the Toledo province include minerals, barley, wheat, oats, vegetables, wine, fruit, and timber; sheep and pigs are also raised. Industry is concentrated in the provincial capital, Toledo city, and Talavera de la Reina. Food-processing, metalworking, and other manufacturing plants (primarily shoes and furniture) are found along the highway to Madrid.

+ There are numerous heritage sites all around the province. Apart from the capital, which throughout history has been an outstanding example of the peaceful co-existence of three cultures (Jewish, Christian and Muslim), other places well worth visiting include Talavera de la Reina (the most populated city in the province) and Carranque, the site of the Carranque Archaeological Park.

+ Featured here is the city of Toledo, one of Spain's most magnificent cities. Dramatically sited atop a gorge overlooking the Río Tajo, it was known as the "city of three cultures" in the Middle Ages, a place where -- legend has it -- Christian, Muslim, and Jewish communities peacefully coexisted. Discovering the vestiges of this unique cultural synthesis remains modern Toledo’s most compelling attraction. Horseshoe-arched mosques, Sephardic synagogues and one of Spain’s finest Gothic cathedrals line its dense historical core. Yet, the layers go much deeper. Further exploration will reveal Visigothic and Roman roots. Toledo’s other forte is art, in particular the haunting canvases of El Greco, the influential, impossible-to-classify painter with whom the city is synonymous. (Although it is popular with day trippers, you might want to stay a bit longer to fully appreciate the city in all its haunting glory.

+ Synagogues, mosques, and churches stand together in Toledo's historic quarter, a testament to the medieval Spanish city's diverse history. The four towers of The Alcazar, a fortress built in 1085, dominate the skyline. (Toledo and its surrounding countryside inspired El Greco, and his paintings are on display in many places around the city, including the museum that bears his name.)