What to do in Ávila in mayo

The coldest month of the year, with sub-zero lows and near-daily frost — you'll catch the walls and medieval old town glazed in hoarfrost, unthinkable in summer.

Carnival takes over from February 13-18 — samba troupes and brass bands parade out of Mercado Grande on Saturday the 14th, and the Burial of the Sardine closes it on Ash Wednesday.

Holy Week — a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest — opens March 27, with brotherhoods processing inside the walled enclosure and the Borriquilla setting out from the Cathedral on Palm Sunday (the 29th).

Holy Week peaks in April — the Procession of the Passion leaves the Cathedral on Good Friday (the 3rd) and the Risen Christ closes the cycle on Easter Sunday, April 5.

Midsummer's Eve, June 23-24, lights up with bonfires authorized by the town hall — the solstice is celebrated around the fire.

The Ávila International Music Festival fills the Renaissance palaces with classical music July 6-12 — masterclasses and concerts in the 16th-century Palacio de los Serrano.

The theatrical night tours of the walls continue on Wednesdays and Thursdays — the best way to walk the wall-walk once the day's heat fades.

The Medieval Days 'Market of the Three Cultures' take over the walls September 3-6 — over 300 stalls, jugglers and falconers recreating the coexistence of Christians, Jews and Muslims.

The festivities of Santa Teresa, Ávila's patron saint, peak on October 15 — the eve brings her image to the Cathedral with a floral offering, and the great day's procession follows the solemn Mass.

Genuine low season: after the Santa Teresa crowds, you walk the walled city in silence and hotels return to winter rates.

The Christmas market fills Plaza de Santa Teresa through January 6, and the municipal Nativity scene opens December 5 in the Palacio de Superunda, which drew over 23,000 visitors last year.