2 new castles added for Game of Thrones season 6!

Zafra
Castillo de Zafra

HBO has confirmed several locations in Spain today for Game of Thrones season 6, including two castles!

In addition to HBO confirming the show’s use of the Bardenas badlands and the Alcazaba in Almeria, HBO has announced that this year, Game of Thrones will be shooting in the Castillo de Zafra, in the Guadalajara province, and in the Castell de Santa Florentina in the Catalonian city of Canet del Mar.

The Castillo de Zafra (shown above) is a 12th century fortress found in Campillo de Dueñas, in central Spain. The forbidding castle is built on a bed of rock.

santa florentina
Castell de Santa Florentina

The 11th century Castell de Santa Florentina is, according to its official website, built on the remains on an ancient Roman villa. You can take a virtual tour of the castell with this video:

Castillo de Zafra - side view
Castillo de Zafra – side view

As for the purpose of the new locations, it’s unknown at this time. Castillo de Zafra will likely capture fans’ imaginations the most, with its unique look. Every new location has ASOIAF book readers hoping for a Tower of Joy, and the side view of the Castillo de Zafra could fit that bill. However, the location would also serve well as a basis for Casterly Rock, if the show heads toward the seat of House Lannister.

As for the Castell de Santa Florentina, it could fit a variety of bills. The interiors, as you can see from photos and the video, are lovely and even has a cellar and courtyard, though much simpler than the gardens we saw in Seville. But there’s always a need for castle rooms on Game of Thrones. 

What are your theories on the new locations, readers?

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

139 Comments

  1. Hodor!

    The surrounding area of Castillo de Zafra look a bit Reach-y to me… maybe Highgarden or Horn Hill

  2. I wouldn’t be surprised if that big caste is somewhere in the Reach. Horn Hill, Highgarden, the Citadel… it just looks so lush and green and well-maintained. It screams the Reach to me. If I had to bet, I’d say Horn Hill, since we know for a fact Sam’s whole family is being cast, while Highgarden making an appearance in only speculative.

    The other one is another great Tower of Joy candidate.

  3. Castillo de Zafra would be my guess for Tower of Joy. Really close to my imagination or it could be some place in the Reach. The other Horn Hill maybe?

  4. Wow – both these locations are stunning. Can’t wait to see where the production takes us this year. They continue to step up their game (of thrones, that is)

  5. Tower of Joy ! That is almost exactly how I pictured it in my mind. I am so hoping that somehow Bran will have a vision of Ned’s flashback complete with the speech.

    “Ser Willem is a good man and true,” said Ser Oswell.

    “But not of the Kingsguard,” Ser Gerold pointed out. “The Kingsguard does not flee.”

    “Then or now,” said Ser Arthur. He donned his helm.

  6. My two cents: Castillo de Santa Florentina as something in the Reach or the Riverlands and Castillo de Zafra as Tower of Joy.

  7. OMG! HBO is going full bore with season 6 and beyond, locations, locations, locations, there must be some hidden agenda (long term) for all this, especially with only 2-3 seasons left.
    Castell de Santa Florentina will be interiors for CR, notice the lion statues at the entrance in the video, and Castillo de Zafra, which I have never seen before, and I love castles, that structure leaves me breathless. I’m leaning ToJ most definitely, it screams secluded love nest to me. Zafra is to small for Horn Hill. All these locales leave me wondering what Mesa Roldan will be used for, with it being on a cliff overlooking the sea, I’m now guessing the base of the Sunspear Tower,

    In this
    ” rel=”nofollow”>video of Zafra
    , it appears to be abandoned, which is a shame, the structure is in good shape, perhaps the GoT crew, in conjunction with Spain and historic preservationists can restore it to its former glory.

  8. I agree with the ones saying it’s Horn Hill and Casterly Rock,btw when is the Comic Con panel starting ?

  9. WOW! Such amazing locations!

    Castillo de Zafra would be so awesome for the Tower of Joy. Ground and rock look red to me, so it’s quite perfect for the mountains of Dorne.

  10. I’ve kinda been laughing at the #TowerofJoy stuff this year — it’s becoming almost like last year’s #DeepwoodMotte.

    That said, that first castle (de Zafra) and it’s surrounding area pretty much looks spot on like the Tower of Joy should look… I may turn into a believer yet! It’s certainly way too small to be Casterly Rock, and they would need to add a CGI ocean.

  11. tyjon:

    Castillo de Zafra, which I have never seen before, and I love castles, that structure leaves me breathless.

    Me too, never seen and heard of it, but it is sooooo beautiful.

  12. Deesensfan,

    My (and many others’) pet theory is that Cersei is gonna burn King’s Landing to the ground when things get tricky (internal politics and assassinations, Young Griff and/or Dany’s conquest, the winter… —take your pick) and flee to Casterly Rock.

  13. tyjon,

    Well,we will see next year what season will be the last since they have to announce the renewal,if it says something like HBO has renewed Game of Thrones for the seventh and last season then it’s pretty definite but if it’s worded differently then there may be hope for those who want another season(i’m not one of those but if it’s done split season then i may be ok with it)

  14. Deesensfan,

    Wasn’t Cersei hinting that she may go there until her trial starts,i may be misremembering since it’s been so long since i read ADWD so i don’t know . Now that i think about it,it may have been Kevan who suggested that to her i’m not sure .

  15. As soon as I saw Zafra, without knowing where or what it was, I thought ToJ! It makes sense after you think about it too. The imagery is right.

    Santa Florentina has me torn between Horn Hill, Highgarden and Casterly Rock.

    For some reason, I can’t help feeling Mesa Roldan might be Starfall. It’d fit if Arthur Dayne is to be in S06, and with Ned taking Dawn back to its ancestral place. That could also mean we may see Ashara Dayne, perhaps? How can the show miss out on showing the most beautiful woman in the world, as Ashara was fabled to be?

  16. Luka Nieto,

    Hmmm. but Bran’s vision shows us Kings Landing.
    Danys conquest wont happen next season… It may start, but I don’t think itll end next season. I can imagine season six ending with the dragon flying over KL….
    I don’t know who young Griff is.
    And I don’t see Cersei burning Kings Landing to the ground because of Brans vision… same with Winter.
    So if any of these happen, they wont happen till way later so they wouldn’t need Casterly Rock until endish season 7 .. maybe? I dunno!

  17. Carcosa101,

    In the show, she did not hint she may return…
    I don’t think she would leave Tommen… unless, he kills himself…. But then she would be queen…. would she leave being a queen?

  18. Luka Nieto,

    I support this, although I don’t think she will burn King’s Landing. I don’t think Cersei will die this season, but I’m convinced that whoever will conquer King’s Landing before Dany arrives will do it this season, so Cersei would have to escape to Casterly Rock by the end of this season.

  19. ZappaCreed,

    Besides being the former love interest of Ned and Ned’s brother(and Barristan also apparently,*pukes) what purpose would she have to the story ? Because being beautiful doesn’t mean she is useful to the plot,i mean if D and D cut out Aegon which may indicate he’s not that important,what makes you think they are adding her ?

  20. Deesensfan,

    But who’s to say Dany needs to fight someone before conquering KL,as we know this series usually avoids cliches and expectations so just because the main expectation is for Dany to fight the big bad aka Cersei,that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Also it would be a pretty one sided fight anyway don’t you think ?

  21. Deesensfan,

    The speculation of someone arriving before Dany is based on book knowledge, and Dorne being the attackers instead of the people involved in the books, who are not in the show, is pretty likely.

    So… your funny answer of Trystane attacking King’s Landing before Dany may actually not be that far off.

  22. Zafra wil most likely be ToJ and we do know that Arthur Dayne is being cast so we will see it.

    Rodlán would then be CR because we have been told that season 6 will feature CR

    and Santa Florentina looks a lot as I would have imagined Highgarden, to me it is to green to be either Horn Hill or the Citadel

  23. Carcosa101,

    That’s true… But I don’t think she will arrive to a burnt down Kings Landing… because of Brans Vision…

    Luka Nieto,

    Okay I see… so Dorne maybe… well there is a conflict brewing (its always been there but stronger than ever now) between Martells and Lannister. So it will be interesting to see if the Martells take down the Lannisters.

    Hmmm I wonder how that will happen, considering that Jamie has Trystane now… well based on the way season 5 ended… but I don’t know if actually can capture Trystane because I don’t know whos boat they are on. But I am assuming the prince of Dorne is travelling with multiple body guards. I don’t know!

  24. ArrySnow,

    We haven’t been told Season 6 will feature Casterly Rock. To be fair, GRRM has confirmed that we’ll see both Casterly Rock and Highgarden in the future books, though not necessarily in TWOW… and even if he had said it’s in TWOW, that’s not the same thing as Casterly Rock being confirmed for the coming season of the show.

    Then again, I do personally believe we’ll see at least Casterly Rock this season. But it’s not confirmed, at all.

  25. Ashara Dayne? Oh great. Let’s watch a personality-free character give birth to a (possibly) still born child and then jump out a window. But hey, pretty!

  26. Carcosa101,

    I would love to see House Dayne, their home Starfall. As well as Ashara, Arthur and perhaps even Gerold or Edric at some point. I would gladly trade Sand Snakes and Ellaria for them,but I’m just a fan. 😀 Sand Snakes will play bigger part in the future. There is mystery about Ashara’s real fate. What truly happened. There are even theories about Jon’s parentage such as B+A=J or N+A=J.

    Some people (I’m not one of them) believe that Ashara is Jon’s real mother. All of this lead to Dany being Lyanna’s daughter. Check out Preston Jacobs videos.It’s actually a nice theory, but I’m not a supporter of it. It maybe too late to introduce another theory about Jon’s parentage. Show is going on the R+L=J road very clearly.
  27. really nice they looked at spain, many interesting places there you can film!

    on a funny side-note, it wont be GoT who brags about filming in spain, it will be the spanish who brag about GoT filming there :))

    just proves how much a cultural fenomen GoT is all around the world

  28. Don’t think de Zafra is ToJ. It should be just a single tower, not an actual castle. I’m guessing either its either Casterly Rock or Hornhill. Santa Florinta looks like Highgarden to me.

  29. Castell de Santa Florentina looks absolutely stunning. The Game of Thrones production team will definitely get their money’s worth filming there. Judging from the aerial views and the video that shows off the grounds and the courtyards, it does strike me as a castle in the Reach. Horn Hill would be my guess, but Highgarden or the inner sanctum of the Citadel is certainly a possibility as well. It could also be a brand-new location that will surprise as all.

    Simeon,

    Yeah, we might need to update the meme and the Lexicon if this continues. We’ve seen so many free-standing castles surrounded by deserts among the potential Season 6 filming locations that I’ve given up trying to guess which of them – if any – could be the infamous Tower of Joy. I do think one of them ultimately will stand in for that location, but there’s no way to know which one without more information.

    At this point, I would be stunned if we didn’t see the Tower next season. That may be the key difference between this speculation and last year’s Deepwood Motte! hysteria, which was mostly tongue-in-cheek. The Deepwood Motte thing derived a significant amount of its comedic value from the tacit acknowledgment that the chances it would actually appear on the show were slim to none. Well, that, and Deepwood Motte is just a fun name to say.

  30. Geralt of Rivia,

    I haven’t read the books so I don’t know who Ashara is…
    I am assuming since she hasn’t been mentioned ONCE in the show EVER, she cant be Jon Snows mother, unless, she is his mother, but they wont mention it in the show, and then JS is truly dead for ever.

    If anything R+L=J seems more solid for the show… or N+__=J… but we don’t know who, and wont because after 5 seasons, some hints to who __ would have been required instead of Lyanna… unless J is gone forever so no need to mention __

  31. The one in the forest could it be Riverrun? They didnt really show it back in S3!

    The other one, castle+rock=casterly rock?

  32. Carcosa101,

    To have Ashara Dayne appear would bring more meaning to ToJ from several angles. Starfall is part of Dorne, and has more going for it than what we’ve seen presented thus far by the show. It has greater significance historically too, from the rest of Dorne. I’d figure Ned to tell Ashara about the circumstances surrounding ToJ, including trusting her with Jon’s identity. Who’d be around to take care of Baby Jon? How would Ned deal with that? There must be more to Ned’s fever dream than he was recalling.

  33. asdsad: So, has anyone seen the season 6 working titles too?

    If you’re referring to the obviously fake episode titles someone was passing around, yeah someone posted them here not long ago.

  34. Guys, remember spoiler tags. Someone mentioned Young Grif, and another posted saying they don’t know who that is. Spoiler tags please, even if the storyline seems to be cut from the show!

  35. Fienix,

    I was the one who mentioned YG. It’s a pseudonym. Not exactly a big reveal, is it? Also, he’s cut, so it’s not even a show spoiler.

    Sue the Fury,

    Yesterday I was thinking about guessing titles. How about “Promise Me”? “Winter.” And… Nah, I’ve got nothing else.

  36. Sue the Fury:
    Lucius,

    They use CGI on virtually every location we see on the show.

    In that case and if the second castle is Highgarden, I hope they CGI in some gardens, especially rose gardens.

  37. Comic Con started today but GoT stuff doesn’t start until tomorrow and I can’t freaking wait…

    Here is a good rundown of who the GoT panel will have.

  38. Fienix: Guys, remember spoiler tags. Someone mentioned Young Grif, and another posted saying they don’t know who that is. Spoiler tags please, even if the storyline seems to be cut from the show!

    Even if cut from the show, because people may still read the books- no reason to ruin the books for them.

  39. Man, these castles are simply stunning. They’re really turning up the heat on shooting locations this year. I concur that Castell de Santa Florentina is likely Horn Hill.

    In other news, the Comic Con panel is tomorrow! They better tell us who’s playing the first storm and the last. I’ve been dying to know since that casting call was first reported.

  40. Wow!

    Apparently there is some GoT stuff going on today at Comic Con… Look at these beautiful model pieces… Dany’s set piece looks amazing!

  41. It feels a bit odd to agree with the majority, but I see the new locations as Casterly Rock and Horn Hill as well.

    If I had to bet on the new locations…
    So far we could have what appear to be the makings of Oldtown (Castell del Papa Luna in Peñíscola), Casterly Rock (Castillo de Zafra), Horn Hill (Castillo de Santa Florentina), and possibly Tower of Joy (La torre de Mesa Roldán), Hightower (Faro de Mesa Roldán) and more of Braavos (Girona). Perhaps Mesa Roldán and/ or Bardenas Reales Natural Park in Navarre is another Dorne locale (Boneway, Prince’s Pass, Starfall, Summerhall etc) or a new spot in Essos…

    A lot of new locations to be sure and I find it interesting that none of them fit the new Northern lords we had in the casting leaks. I guess they can be filmed in Northern Ireland more easily…

  42. I guess I’m the only person who really DOESN’T want the ToJ!

    First one is a shoe in for Casterly Rock.
    I always pictured Highgarden as being a little more akin to a more fairytale-like medieval/renaissance crossed French castle ( general consensus = http://gameofowns.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/highgarden.jpeg )

    So if the second one was Highgarden I must admit I’d bit disaapointed as there are many better locations/castles for it. Chenanceau castle in France ( http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb6059puWj1rsdyc4o1_1280.jpg ) or
    Dunrobin Castle in Scotland ( http://www.wilde-thyme.co.uk/sites/default/files/dunrobin%20castle%202.jpg ) .

    So I hope it’s not. Could make up other parts of Casterly Rock or perhaps parts of Sunspear but quite honestly I think there are better locations that could represent both.

    I’d go for Horn Hill for the second. Will most likely be a location with the Tarleys featuring heavily and it matches the decription of the place pretty well. It would make a good Horn Hill 🙂

  43. Awesome locations! Spain is going to be mega-big this year. I am very, very happy that we will be seeing some gorgeous locations in Westeros; KL has become a bit boring.

    Mormont:
    So who do you think’s gonna be going to Casterly Rock? Jaime?

    I hope Cersei. I think she’ll eventually die at CR.

  44. Kinda hope there will be an epic showdown between Cersei and Dany just to see the audience suddenly realize they are rooting for the now sympathetic mother of madness over the hapless occupier who can’t seem to get anything right lol.

  45. Castillo De Zafra looks far too small for Casterly Rock, much more likely to be tower of joy I would think.

  46. Both gorgeous locations. Castell de Santa Florentina would make a splendid Horn Hill. Hope they don’t use it as Highgarden, though, it looks a bit too quaint and tightly surrounded by trees. I’d like to see vast fields or grass around Highgarden.

  47. Geralt of Rivia,

    Doesn’t add anything to the show at all. The only bit that needs including is the conversation between Ned and Lyanna. The rest would be a bunch of random guys fighting for a reason the audience don’t understand. It won’t be done justice. If folks want the ToJ in it’s entirety then hope for a Robert’s Rebellion prequel where they have time to tell the story and build the characters properly. This would just be a reason to stuff an action scene in there. Time and effort would be much better spent elsewhere.

  48. goodkinghenry,

    Would Dany still be hapless when she finally gets to Westeros? Surely these seasons/books of development mean that she’ll be somewhat competent when she finally crosses the Narrow Sea.

  49. I’d guess that Castell de Santa Florentina will be Horn Hill. If speculation that the casting news that just contained descriptions are really the

    The Tarly Bunch

    that would tie in to Horn Hill.

    I have a question about the Danes but will spoiler tag it:

    Wasn’t there a Dane that claimed Jon was his “milk brother” That might give some import to introducing Ahshara Dane. Although I don’t recall any casting calls that would seem to refer to her.
  50. Dolorous Methuselah,

    There was indeed!

    Edric “Ned” Dayne tells Arya he was Jon’s milk brother.
    He was with the Brotherhood without Banners at the time, so he has been cut from the show or at least very delayed
  51. ArrySnow,

    We don’t know AD is being cast, that’s yet be confirmed so it’s supposition only. This could be any random swordsman.

  52. Paul,

    A random great swordsman, a paragon of knighthood and wearing a legendary on his back?
    That’s pretty specific and fits in all points to Arthur Dayne.
    The hilt of the greatsword Dawn poked up over his right shoulder. (AGoT, Eddard X)
    Eddard Stark describe Arthur Dayne as “the finest knight” he ever saw, when the Kingsguard “was a shining lesson to the world.” (ACoK, Bran III)
    Okay it needs confirmation but come on… D:

  53. goodkinghenry,

    Sympathetic my ass,i still hate Cersei’s guts and the Walk of Shame didn’t make me sympathise with her any more,and talking about hapless,yeah because we all know how competent Cersei is at her job,please,you Dany haters are starting to lose it really . I’m not even her biggest fan but i can see when someone is a hater from a mile away .

  54. Paul,

    Only the “best” swordsman in Westeros…. cough cough Europe.

    That said, I’m not convinced 100% it’s him either.

    though if it is him, and they do the whole flashback scenario- with the casting call describing the famous great sword- will Dawn be introduced- and will this sword play a role in the endgame?? If so, who will wield it?? I’m thinking show only here…. too many more questions for book endgame scenarios

    As to these castles- I’m thinking I like Horn Hill or somewhere in the Reach for Santa Florentina- and the Zafra castle looks like a perfect choice for the Rock. With a little CGI and some alternative interiors it could be the perfect seat of the Lannisters.

  55. I don’t think any of the locations shown so far really fit Casterly Rock. Maybe Peñíscola, but I think there are better options in Spain, like Iruela Castle in Jaén and, of course, Gibraltar. The casting requirements also seem to suggest Peñíscola will be part of the Sam/Oldtown storyline. But I guess they could make anything work with CGI.

  56. Tower of Joy and Horn Hill or Rock. Since the show has cut Willas and Garlan Tyrell, it seems Randyll Tarly and Dickon will take their roles in dealing with Euron. The castle Florentina will actually be a great place for Highgarden set, but the casting calls suggest Horn Hill is more likely. I would expect some place taller and less green for Casterly Rock, but Cersei could be going there, so it is another possibility.
    I am not really hopeful about all three kingsguard at the Tower of Joy. Maybe they will have Arthur Dayne alone, fighting Ned, Howland and Lord Dustin.

  57. aabe,

    I tend to agree- one member of the Kingsguard would be enough for the show- unless they wanted to show how dramatic the 7 on 3 showdown was. More action. More chaos. More of a sense of how lucky Ned and HR were to remain alive…

  58. I’m kind of baffled by the ToJ stuff…

    Shouldn’t it be some awful piece of shit ruin since Ned was like “oh hey, I may as well pull this tower down to build Cairns for these dudes I done slayed n’ my friends that done got slayed” immediately after the fact? I mean I guess that part doesn’t have to even be included for the TV version, but none of the stuff we’ve seen lately says Tower of Joy to me.

    Some of these MUST have something to do with Dany’s story, since they are kind of Essosy and we are going into all off-book territory with her. Who knows where she (or Jorah/Daario) will end up; hopefully these castles point to something a little more interesting than a season worth of straight-up horseback riding with Dothrakis. If these are all Dorne locations… well… I swear to all the gods that I will loudly declare I’m never watching or enjoying the show again, and then continue to watch and enjoy it. I mean it, D&D. That’s not a bluff.

    I also like the Shield Islands talk. Those are far enough south that they wouldn’t have to be real “wintery” this season, right? I just read the Reaver chapter yesterday and I don’t even remember if there were any descriptions of the weather.

    Either that or these are all probably different Deepwood Motte locations.

  59. harma dogememe,

    I have a feeling that if they do include Ned making the cairns they will just have him remove some of the stones instead of tearing the whole tower down. I don’t think this will be ToJ anyway, since its actually a castle instead of a single tower.

  60. I’m guessing that they could also use a mix and match approach – different parts of a given castle (say in Spain) can be used as parts of different show castles. For example, the could use the battlements to represent one castle, a stairway for another, an archway for one, an interior room for one, dungeons (if any of these have them) for another, and the overall exterior for yet another.

    Does anyone who’s been following this stuff in past seasons know whether they’ve used this approach before?

  61. Edward:
    Tower of Joy ! That is almost exactly how I pictured it in my mind. I am so hoping that somehow Bran will have a vision of Ned’s flashback complete with the speech.

    “Ser Willem is a good man and true,” said Ser Oswell.

    “But not of the Kingsguard,” Ser Gerold pointed out. “The Kingsguard does not flee.”

    “Then or now,” said Ser Arthur. He donned his helm.

    My body is ready!

    I don’t normally like to jump to conclusions, but ToJ was my impulse thought when I saw the picture.

  62. Sister Kisser,

    I’m confused as to why they need to fully pad him out with Dawn and a reputation as the best swordsman in Westeros, paragon of knighthood, etc if he’s only appearing briefly in a flashback!
    I hereby start the crackpot theory that Arthur Dayne lives!

  63. I hope a few of these castles we’ve seen do relate to the Reach, Oldtown and the Rock. Please, not too much Dorne…

  64. Deesensfan: Why would we see Casterly Rock at this point?

    GRRM has told us that we will “see” Casterly Rock in TWOW, implying a POV will go there. The most likely candidate is Cersei, after Tommen is killed and the Lannister hold on King’s Landing is broken (by Aegon probably). It’s possible that Jaime (with or without Brienne) could go there too, but is is harder to see why at this point. No other POVs really make sense.
  65. If you read the casting than it has to be horn hill because they cast Sam’s family, and tower of joy because they’re going to be doing flashbacks

  66. Luka Nieto,

    Or she just gets driven out of Kings Landing. She has a long supply of enemies there and a short supply of tactical sense, after all.

  67. harma dogememe,

    harma dogememe:
    I’m kind of baffled by the ToJ stuff…

    Shouldn’t it be some awful piece of shit ruin since Ned was like “oh hey, I may as well pull this tower down to build Cairns for these dudes I done slayed n’ my friends that done got slayed” immediately after the fact? I mean I guess that part doesn’t have to even be included for the TV version, but none of the stuff we’ve seen lately says Tower of Joy to me.

    Some of these MUST have something to do with Dany’s story, since they are kind of Essosy and we are going into all off-book territory with her. Who knows where she (or Jorah/Daario) will end up; hopefully these castles point to something a little more interesting than a season worth of straight-up horseback riding with Dothrakis. If these are all Dorne locations… well… I swear to all the gods that I will loudly declare I’m never watching or enjoying the show again, and then continue to watch and enjoy it. I mean it, D&D. That’s not a bluff.

    I also like the Shield Islands talk. Those are far enough south that they wouldn’t have to be real “wintery” this season, right? I just read the Reaver chapter yesterday and I don’t even remember if there were any descriptions of the weather.

    Either that or these are all probably different Deepwood Motte locations.

    ToJ would be a flashback so the tower would be still there. And I doubt there are castles in Essos. We saw some landscapes that looked more Essos before and I do not think we see Jorah and Daario that much.

  68. Chad Brick,

    I see.. I was talking from the shows perspective…cause “that character you mentioned ” isn’t in the show.
    I haven’t read the books but I am planning on it once I’m done being pissed off about Jon (half of me doubts he’s (as in kit himself) coming back )

  69. Btw, thx for posting the Castell de Santa Florentina video, it was educational. Also a shout out to the castle’s owners for producing it, allowing us a peek into their home.
    Did they use a drone during some shots? I say let the owners and their family be extras during filming, how bout it Nina.
    To clarify, if they use exterior shots of the castle as well as interiors, I see it standing in for Horn Hill, but if they just shoot interiors of the rooms and maybe the Lion Gate, then I see it standing in for Casterly Rock,
    Twenty for hours till the GoT panel.

  70. Ren Snow,
    OH! Horn Hill, I hadn’t thought of that… hmm. On the other hand the pic on the front page screams Tower Of Joy to me.

  71. ZappaCreed,

    Hmm, hadn’t thought of that one! I just hope we get to see Arthur Dayne. He and his family are mentioned in all the books by different people and somehow I don’t think it is just to mention the “good ol’ ways” or the honorable past… I feel (and of course I can be wrong) that there’s a lot of effort in reminding us of Starfall, Ashara, Arthur and his sword throughout the books. And there was a mention of Arthur Dayne in the show back in season one (when Ned and Barrystan Selmy spoke before the tourney).

  72. I think Casterly Rock might make a showing, and Santa Florentina has an elegance befitting it.

    Someone mentioned Cersei going to trial next season. You really think so? I think she’d do anything to stay away from the Sparrows, much less being subjected to a trial. Who sees her sending a hit man on the High Sparrow? Her new champion might be able to handle some of that work. Or, she could be running away.

    Remember, she doesn’t know yet that her beloved Myrcella is dead. Add that grief to her fury at being imprisoned at all, to the shame of the WoS and we have an unstable, unleashed lady at large. Jaime is more likely to head in the direction of CR.

    Whatever happens, these sites are so interesting and beautiful, it will be fun picking them all out when the season airs. I just hope filming time isn’t governed by stringent restrictions, like the scenes at Dorne were, so the plot lines can be fully developed.

  73. Oh yes !

    Would be awesome if they open season 6 like they did last one but with a ‘tower of joy bran’s flashback’ and then jump cut into Jon Snow’s supposed funeral.

    Edward,

  74. Sister Kisser:
    TheTouchOfFrost,

    I’ve heard theories concerning his ongoing existence in the realm of men….but yeah- all rather crackpot.

    He’s living in the Neck with his Sister and Brother-in-law while his niece is north of the wall with his recently cannibalised nephew?

    Nope, not heard anything like that anywhere.

  75. Thronetender:

    ……. I just hope filming time isn’t governed by stringent restrictions, like the scenes at Dorne were, so the plot lines can be fully developed.

    My thoughts exactly. I’d rather see good acting/fight choreography/good story filmed in a studio than Dorne-quality material rush-filmed in a beautiful location

  76. That’s a *lot* of scenes in the South/Essos, isn’t it?

    I hope one of these is Sam’s Dad’s place.

  77. Why yes. That Castillo de Zafra does look magnificent.

    Pretty much how I’d imagined the Tower of Joy…

  78. Well if there’s a Tower of Joy why are we assuming there will be no Greywater Watch? Both Bran’s and the ToJ storyline appear to be coming in S6 & rely pretty strongly on the Reeds… plus… you know.

    That 2nd castle looks as close to a hidden floating swamp castle as I can imagine.

  79. Thronetender: You really think so? I think she’d do anything to stay away from the Sparrows, much less being subjected to a trial.

    At this point, it’s not as if she has a hell of a lot of choice. She let the Sparrows have the power (in order to bring down the Tyrells), and now they are using it.

  80. Ashara Dayne: I’d rather see good acting/fight choreography/good story filmed in a studio than Dorne-quality material rush-filmed in a beautiful location

    Well, to a large extent, the problem was in the material. There never was much good one could do with Dorne, save perhaps cut it altogether. But that left one definite problem and one possible one: first, what would to do with Jaime (definite), as his book material was useless; and, two: how to keep Dorne in the viewers’ minds if it is important plotwise in Winter?

  81. Why do we need so many Towers of Joy?

    But seriousy, Castell de Santa Florentina IS Hornhill as I imagined it. It makes sense to have the castle -of the House with a hunter as their sigil- between green woods.

    I don’t see the other one as grand enough for Casterly Rock. If Gibraltar was original inspiration, then this is definitely not it.

    In other news, 6:10 hours until the ComicCon Panel?

  82. Sister Kisser,

    Would completely rule it out by age alone although Ned was only in his late 30s when he died and the casting call for “Dayne” was for someone in their 40s so I don’t think he would be much older than Ned if he was still alive.
    Still perplexed as why they need to best swordsman in Europe for the role? If it’s only for a short flashback then the choreography would make it not the swordsman plus wouldn’t the others involved need to be of a similar quality? It’s a bizarre casting call choice.

  83. Semi book reader here – but I don’t mind spoilers. Whats the name of the Tarly place and which castle does everybody think it is? I can’t remember if the name was ever mentioned in the show.

  84. Does anyone else think the tower of Mesa Roldán could be the Children’s Tower at Moat Cailin?
    It even has the missing section of crenelations at the top, just like the CT

  85. Is it possible that it could be the tower prison that Arianne Martell was held in (in the books) following the attempt on Myrcella’s life? Obviously it’s Ellaria in the show, but is that not slightly more likely than the Tower of Joy?

  86. ZappaCreed:
    As soon as I saw Zafra, without knowingwhere or what it was, I thought ToJ! It makes sense after you think about it too. The imagery is right.

    Santa Florentina has me torn between Horn Hill, Highgarden and Casterly Rock.

    For some reason, I can’t help feeling Mesa Roldan might be Starfall. It’d fit if Arthur Dayne is to be in S06, and with Ned taking Dawn back to its ancestral place. That could also mean we may see Ashara Dayne, perhaps? How can the show miss out on showing the most beautiful woman in the world, as Ashara was fabled to be?

    Starfall was my first though too, although it was based on a quick glance and I thought the castle was by water. (They could CGI water in, of course, just as they CGI’ed it out when Dany found comatose Khal Drogo on that cliff.)

    Although I do believe Starfall likely has importance to the future of the story and may not necessarily be part of a flashback (if it’s in the show at all.) Especially if Dawn is particularly special.

    I love Ashara, and she may well get a name drop in the show but I kinda doubt we’ll actually see her.

  87. Santa Florentina is so big they can easily use it for multiple locations, I think. Doors with lions for Casterly Rock, the room with the hunting scene for Horn Hill, inner courtyard for Highgarden? I guess three locations might be pushing it, but could definitely be two.

    The side view of Castillo de Zafra kind of makes me think of Hightower, since the base of the High Tower is supposed to be this mysterious black rock. It’s even and symmetrical in the books, but that might not be super important in the show.

    Or Hightower might not even be in the show. Who knows.

  88. Thronetender: Whats the name of the Tarly place and which castle does everybody think it is? I can’t remember if the name was ever mentioned in the show.

    As Blind Beth mentions above, the Tarly abode is Horn Hill in the Reach.

    Could be a possibility, since it is a fairly isolated castle on top of a hill and since they seem to be doing a version of Sam’s journey to Oldtown. Although unlikely, maybe Sam will take a short visit to his home before venturing to Oldtown and/or Highgarden. Who knows?
  89. Blind Beth,

    Defintately for establishing shots. Not sure they’d be able to find somewhere that dramatic which also had great interiors to film in! To be honest, I think the more Northern European castles suit what I imagine the Casterly Rock interior to be like. I imagine it would be akin to Pyke or Rivendell in architecture only a bit more lavish!

  90. tyjon,

    This castle was repaired by Antonio Sanz Polo on 1971 with no help from any government. Nowadays Zafra castle belongs to Mr Sanz’s family and it is not abandoned. Unfortunatelly, some people, as the one recording the vídeo, used to enter into the castle without permisson. Some of those intruders damaged the wooden doors and the rest of the forniture and belongins that were kept ínside the building. Now the castle’s been repaired by Mr Sanz grandson.

  91. First ones probably the tower of joy. As for the 2nd one, Isn’t this what Deepwood Motte would look exactly like?

  92. They were seven, facing three. In the dream as it had been in life. Yet these were no ordinary three. The moment I fell in love with a world not my own.

    And these were no shadows. Their faces burned clear.

  93. One of the other locations in Spain will be in Girona. Would just like to have on the record somewhere that when I was there a few years ago I said this would be a perfect shooting locale for GOT. Low and behold, filming will start in Girona early Sept.! So super excited!

  94. tower of joy is castell de santa florentina…surely ……..nd castillo de zafra could be horn hill…seat of house tarly…..next season i think randyll tarly would come to save tyrells from the dungeons…nd jon snow’s parentage revealed..bt jon snow may only be returning in finale or season 7…

  95. Geralt of Rivia:
    Carcosa101,

    I would love to see House Dayne, their home Starfall. As well as Ashara, Arthur and perhaps even Gerold or Edric at some point. I would gladly trade Sand Snakes and Ellaria for them,but I’m just a fan. Sand Snakes will play bigger part in the future. There is mystery about Ashara’s real fate. What truly happened. There are even theories about Jon’s parentage such as B+A=J or N+A=J.
    Dany as Lyanna’s daughter, and Jon Ashara’s son? In other words, the switched baby theory. It could be created, but I don’t think so personally. I believe in R+L=J, too and I hope at least 2 episodes are flashbacks of the past. I also hope some known stars recreate it.

  96. Javi:
    My two cents: Castillo de Santa Florentina as something in the Reach or the Riverlands and Castillo de Zafra as Tower of Joy.

    Ask???
    I have two map where you can tower above the Joy, but Joy’s tower which is in the countryside, east, west, river region. in the south? I can not find it ……
    thanks (Sansa idea what will be the fate?)

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