Tower of Villañañe

Spain, Spain

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Tower of Villañañe, known as Torre de los Varona, is a remarkably preserved 14th-century fortified tower-palace in Villanañe village, Álava province, Basque Country, Spain, originally built as a wooden structure around 680 AD by Visigothic admiral Ruy Pérez and rebuilt in stone as the stronghold of the Varona noble family.

Legends claim a warrior woman named María Pérez defeated King Alfonso I the Battler there, earning her descendants the "Varona" name and Aragón's tilted bars on their coat of arms, while historically it anchored the family's power through Castile-Aragón wars and Carlist conflicts.

 Featuring a moat, drawbridge, almenas battlements, garitones turrets, and a later palace addition, this Álava's best-kept military complex now operates as a museum showcasing Valdegovía's history under private ownership after Diputación restorations.