As tired tourists trying to stay upbeat, nothing passes the time more efficiently than making bad jokes in equally bad Spanish. We wonder whether we'll soon reach the roundabout called 'El Toro Loco'. . .

And then. . . Segovia. Out of the darkness, its wondrous cathedral looms, a wedding cake of a building, fully illuminated to make the heart soar no matter how wearying the journey. Little wonder there were so many people on the bloody motorway.

An hour or so's drive or train-ride north of Madrid, Segovia is something special.

Unesco acknowledged this in 1985 by declaring it a World Heritage Site, and it is indeed unusually rich in stunning monuments. The city's nickname is 'The Stone Ship', because the profile of the Alcazar castle perched on the rocks resembles the prow of a boat while the Cathedral's tower serves as the mast.

But it is the Aqueduct which vies with both to dominate the place. At almost 100 feet high and dating from the first century, it is a remarkable feat of engineering, the city's largest and best preserved from the Roman Empire. Its huge blocks of granite are joined by an extraordinary opposition of forces without any kind of mortar, and the mind boggles at the ingenuity of those who built it. Back in the day, it transported water from more than 15 kilometres away . . . today, it is the city's most impressive landmark.

All those gorgeous buildings will give you an appetite, though, so it's lucky this is a city that takes its food seriously. Even its patron translates as 'St Fruit'! Just a fortnight ago, as midnight marked the turn from 24 to 25 October, thousands gathered at the Main Square, opposite the St Frutos door of the Cathedral, for the mysterious tradition 'paso de la hoja' (turning of the page). Legend has it that once a year, the statue of St Frutos turns one page of the book in his hands, symbolising his belief in the importance of education (Segovians will tell you that a page is actually magically turned every night to start the new day but that's another, even more pleasantly rambling, story. ) Anyway, it's all a bit Ballinspittle and, like many things here, possibly just an excuse for some late-night nosh. Sure enough, minutes after the page 'turns', good old Fruit rewards everybody with the traditional Saint's Soup, Sopa de Ajo, a hearty garlic broth with chorizo and bread, from which the 1 charge per bowl goes to charity. St Frutos Cake is another typical delicacy at this time of year, while available all year round is the famous 'Ponche Segovia', a kind of sponge cake covered in marzipan, and there is good-natured but intense rivalry among the city's many restaurants and bakeries to make the quintessential version.

The same competitive gastronomic instinct applies to 'De Tapas', the bar snacking contest run annually at the end of June by Segovia's shopkeepers' association.

Thanks to this initiative, food fans can try tapas even more elaborate than usual for a reasonable price. From the selections offered, tasters text-message in their votes and the favourite tapas stay on sale for a further few days. This year, the competition was won by the restaurant of the lovely Casa Mudejar hotel, El Fogon Sefardi. Its tasty aubergine-based concoction impressed the judges, though it went a long way beyond the traditional idea of the tapa as just a piece of bread with a basic topping that covers your glass and keeps the flies out of your drink.

Eating it in the atmospheric surroundings of a hotel that features fantastic Mudejar moulded ceilings from the 15th century, as well as Segovia's second-most important Roman remains after the Aqueduct, is quite an experience. Between the setting, the food and the wine, it's no surprise that when the Guardian took Britain's famously fun literary event, the Hay Festival , on tour in September, its first port of call was Segovia, with authors like Ian Rankin and Maureen Freely enjoying the post-readings revelry.

If Spain's chequered history can be observed in Segovia's buildings, where Moorish, Jewish and Christian designs compete for attention, this mix is even more in-yourface in Toledo. The same distance south of Madrid as Segovia is to the north, its nickname 'The City of the Three Cultures', refers to the Christian, Islamic and Hebrew cultures that co-existed for centuries within its walls. In its architecture, the customary artistic styles of each interweaves and exchanges influences, with the Mudejar style . . . a combination of Islamic and Christian styles . . . predominating.

The Jewish presence was not pronounced until 712, when the Moors conquered it. The Moors went on to occupy Toledo for 373 years and in 1085, when Alfonso VI took the city walls with no bloodshed, many of the Muslim inhabitants decided to stay with the Christians and the Jews. The harmony between the three bore fruit in the famous School of Translators of Toledo, renowned for having recuperated part of classical culture from various Arab documents.

The Islamic legacy faded with time, and the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella expelled the Jews in the 15th century. As our guide emphasised, this has resulted in a city, and a country, that is "not Christian, but Catholic; not Catholic but Roman Catholic . . . Catholic! Catholic! Catholic!" You couldn't help but wonder if the Spanish love of jamon, which borders on an obsession, stems from a time when progress in life here depended on how 'Spanish' you appeared to be. And if that meant scoffing pig-meat to emphasise your non-Jewishness, so be it.

The racial mix . . . or lack of it . . . in Toledo and elsewhere may have been determined centuries ago, but it remains distinctly homogenous today, and its young people in particular seem somewhat embarrassed that this is so. But the cultural mix established at the same time can still be felt too: everywhere in this city, one form of architecture displaces the next and the buildings are a jumble of styles. A superb place to learn about this is at Toledo's Museo Sefardi, housed in the beautiful Synagogue of Samuel ha-Levi, also known as the Sinagoga del Transito. Situated in a historical 14th-century Mudejar building, it has switched several times during its existence between being a place of worship for the Jewish and Christian faiths.

In both Toledo and Segovia, and in a third, equally beautiful World Heritage City, Caceres . . . which is two hours' drive to the west of Madrid . . . the best way to visit is to leave the car and stroll through the old cobbled areas. This is particularly the case in Toledo, where the narrowness of the streets leads to occasional flare-ups between pedestrians and the delivery men trying to steer a course through them! But if you can resist the urge to play 'pollo' (chicken) with those motorists, a truly enchanting time awaits in these three cities where three cultures collide.

FACTFILE

Olivia Doyle travelled to Toledo, Caceres and Segovia courtesy of the Spanish Tourist Board.

All three cities are easily reached by road or rail from Madrid, to which Iberia and Aer Lingus fly from Dublin daily.

Some useful weblinks and addresses include:

>> www. tourspain. es
>> www. turismodesegovia. com
>> www. cigarreldelasmercedes. com
>> www. toledoweb. org >> Hotel Palacio Eugenia De Montijo, Toledo (www. fontecruz. com) >> Hotel Ah Agora, Caceres (www. ahhotels. com) >> Hotel La Casa Mudejar, Segovia (www. lacasamudejar. com)