The underground of Salamanca
My tour guide Maria pulls a set of keys from her pocket. We’ve walk up to an iron gate. It’s about 8 pm. There is only a trace of indigo in the sky. She opens the gate and the three of us walk through. We are in an open area surrounded by stone walls, but it’s hard to see anything in the darkness. Maria opens a metal panel on the wall and I hear some clicks. Nothing happens. The other woman on the tour, Juana from Seville, shines her iphone flashlight at the panel. Maria tries another switch and the lights go on. Olé! I still have no idea where we are. A sign indicates Pozo de Neive. I don’t trust my Spanish because I think neive is “snow”. Snow? I am in Salamanca in central Spain. The winters are cold but snowfall is rare.
Turns out my translation is correct. Archeologists discovered these large wells (pozos), about 7 metres deep, used to store snow for refrigeration purposes in the 18th century. The snow was hauled by mules from a nearby mountain range and conserved in these underground wells. It would stay cold all through the summer.
We are actually standing in part of an old convent. This is one of 6 or 7 wells located at key access points in Salamanca. The remains of the old convent is also the only place in Salamanca where you can see a small remnant of the medieval wall that would have encircled the city. (There is a larger segment of the ancient Roman wall still intact – photo below on the right.)
The pozo de neive is not all that is behind these locked gates. Maria leads us to a narrow opening. She dismisses the stack of helmets at the entrance, “Por los niños”. We take a few steps down rough stone stairs and enter a tunnel. I can just fit through standing up. There are small stalagtites dripping off the dank slanted ceiling. Maria explains this a mere section of an entire tunnel system that connects under the city. This was only discovered a few years ago because some residents heard water trickling so archeologists investigated the site. They were shocked to find a whole underground network of tunnels.
Kilometres of forgotten tunnels. Not only forgotten for centuries, but also almost unknown today. You can only visit on a tour. This place is so hidden that we startle a passerby when Maria opens the gate to go back on the street. The woman practically jumps she is so surprised to see us emerge from the darkness. It all feels a bit clandestine.
It also feels nice to get back above ground.
Salamanca’s architecture is now beautifully illuminated against the night sky.
Maria takes us to some great viewpoints I never would have found on my own. We wander through a sculpture garden on the grounds of Hotel San Esteban (cover photo), named for the neighbouring monastery. Then she takes us to Huerta de Calisto y Melibea, a garden named after the characters of a famous love story. Among the vast collection of plants, from olive trees to agaves, a well in the centre has become a romantic symbol as partners clasp a padlock to seal their love. (It seems every city as such a place!) It’s a simple water well. No neive.
The glowing cathedral is always in sight as we finish the tour. The forgotten tunnels on the other hand, may be out of sight, but still a fascinating side of Salamanca. If you have someone turn the lights on for you.
Note: The 2 hour tour (in Spanish) is called Visita de Leyendas, Curiosidades y subterráneos de la Salamanca Oculta and can be booked at the tourist office.
