From Madrid, we made a brief side trip to Cáceres, an atmospheric small city of around 95,000 inhabitants in the western Extremadura region. The entire Old Town, the Ciudad Monumental, is encircled by 12th-century Moorish walls, which are dotted with watchtowers that afford stirring views across the surrounding plains. Medieval streets and fortified houses are complemented by imposing Gothic and Renaissance architecture, while many of the city’s mansions were built by locals returning home newly enriched from Spain’s colonies in Mexico, Colombia and Peru.