Game of Thrones

A cold misty March day

It has become one of the most talked about television dramas and across Europe tourists flock to the locations where it has been filmed. Game of Thrones is a medieval fantasy conceived by George RR Martin about dynasties, wars and mythical beats. From Iceland to Croatia fans of the show travel to look for themselves what represents the Wall and Kings lLanding.

The drama's producers have also filmed extensively in Spain and its about one of their locations I have a particular interest in. This is the castle of Peniscola, about a one hour 15 minute drive north of Valencia.

My interest in the castle was stimulated initially not by Game of Thrones, but by a previous production filmed half a century earlier. The movie "El Cid" starring Sofia Loren and Charlton Heston was filmed extensively around the castle and, what was then, an undeveloped sea front.

See the difference in the stone work

The story goes that when Hollywood was scouting for locations (it was a European production company that made El Cid) they asked the local authority if they could restore some of the castle which had crumbled away. They wanted the wide shots to depict the castle in all its glory as if it had been recently constructed, in keeping with the time of the movie. The Municipality agreed, provided the production company returned the castle to its former state.

Filming got underway in 1960 with Peniscola and a number of other fortresses providing the settings for Valencia and the other significant settlements referenced in the film. The film opening to good reviews but according to a Time Magazine article from 1962, Sophia Loren sued the producers because her name appeared after Charlton Heston's in the credits.

Some of the restoration is thanks to "El Cid"

Back to Peniscola, when the producers came to dismantle the set, the local authority were so impressed with the restoration, they told them to keep it as it was. When you visit today you can see close up the difference between the traditional stone and the film makers breeze block and mortar construction. There is a picture here which clearly demonstrates the difference. Other areas of the castle have seen additional restorations.

From a distance though it all looks uniform and that is why the producers of Game of Thrones chose it as one of their locations. 

At the foot of the old city walls which provide the fortification of Peniscola is a car park. Some darker coloured stones are used instead of white lines to indicate each parking position. When you know this you can see clearly see Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys walking across the parking bays in one of their scenes together.

It takes some getting to but given its movie heritage, Peniscola is well worth some of your time and is an inexpensive monument to visit at approximately €5 at the time of writing.