Castillo de Villalba, also known as Malpica el Viejo, stands on an elevated hilltop in Cebolla, Toledo, commanding strategic views over the Tajo river valley. Originally built by Romans as a defensive fortification controlling the major communication route between Toledo (Toletum) and Mérida (Emerita Augusta), the site was later reconstructed by Muslims in the 11th and 12th centuries, then significantly strengthened by the Order of the Templars in the 13th century. The castle subsequently passed through prominent noble families including the Counts of Fuensalida, Counts of Oropesa, and Dukes of Frías, eventually becoming the property of the Counts of Deleitosa. Now completely ruined with a rectangular floor plan and only one of four original corner towers remaining, the fortress preserves architectural evidence spanning multiple centuries of medieval frontier defense.
