Museum of Cáceres

What makes it special

The cistern lies under the Renaissance courtyard of the Palacio de las Veletas, and it still collects the rain that falls on that courtyard. Five brick barrel vaults run the length of the hall, carried on sixteen horseshoe arches and twelve granite columns. The arches swell slightly at the sides, a mark of Almohad building.

It is one of the few pieces left of the Almohad fortress that held this hilltop, and the most singular thing in the museum. Look closely at the supports: most of the columns are reused Roman shafts. The square pillar in the middle of the row, standing where a column should be, is a Roman altar put to work.

Daylight from the courtyard reaches the water, and a palace window on the far wall shows reflected in it. On a rainy day you hear a jet of water splashing down from one part of the vaults, the courtyard still filling the tank.

The rooms you can see today are next door, in the Casa de los Caballos, which holds the fine arts collection. Among its modern Spanish holdings are works by Picasso, Miró and Clavé.

Visiting

Open for now is the Casa de los Caballos alone, on the same square as the palace, and you walk straight in with no ticket to show. Its fine arts rooms are the whole visit until the works end.

The palace's archaeology rooms and historic garden are shut along with the cistern. Plan a short stop here and spend the rest of your time on the square and the lanes around it.

Before the works, the cistern came at the end of the palace route, after the history rooms, down a staircase off the Renaissance courtyard. Expect to find it there again when the palace reopens.

Guided or on your own

For a guide, the museum points you to the city's official tourist guides. Staff-led visits depend on staff availability.

Once the cistern reopens, a guide earns their place down there. The reused Roman columns, with moulded bases, round shafts and capitals, are easy to take for loose museum pieces.

Tips

Stop in the square before you go in and look up at the palace front, with its gargoyles and the glazed ceramic finials along the roof.

Get to the door at least ten minutes before closing, since entry stops then.