© Lonely Planet Publications 448 lonelyplanet.com 449 Basque Country, Navarra & La Rioja The Basque Country and its associated regions of Navarra and La Rioja seem worlds apart from Spain, from Europe and, sometimes, from the rest of the world itself. The Basques claim their country as a nation and it is easy to see why. Even the most casual visitor cannot help feeling a powerful sense of uniqueness amid the forested hills and timeless villages of the northern Basque provinces. You feel that same uniqueness on the corrugated coastline with its string of tough fishing ports, where Euskara, the Basque language, holds sway above all others. You feel it too in the crowning glories of the Basque Country, the cities of Bilbao and Vitoria, paradigms of cultured, sociable urban life and San Sebastián, a sublime beach resort and boasting some of the finest food in Spain and, some say, in Europe too. Add to all of this the ancient Basque heartland of Navarra, less self-consciously Basque today, but with a colourful identity that also sets it apart. NAVARRA & LA RIOJA & LA RIOJA NAVARRA BASQUE COUNTRY, It is a land of breathtaking contrasts that take you from the seductive heat of the low country south of Pamplona, through that ambivalent city of sedate tradition and bull-running excess, to the snowy coxcombs of the Pyrenees and their green, forested valleys – paradise for walkers, skiers and climbers. And then there’s La Rioja, awash with glorious wine, linked by geography to the more temperate north, yet persuasively Mediterranean in its sunburst colours and its dreamy landscape of vineyards, grassy hills and bone-white limestone escarp- ments, its medieval monasteries and enticing wine towns. HIGHLIGHTS Wine and dine in fabulous San Sebastián San Sebastián (p465 ), city of beautiful beaches and belle- Bilbao époque buildings Pyrenees Don’t miss Bilbao’s ( p453 ) stunning Museo Guggenheim and its Museo de Bellas Artes; big windows on great art Vitoria Olite Relax in civilised Vitoria (p476 ), where the La Rioja pedestrian triumphs over the car Wander the velvety La Rioja ( p491) wine Tudela country Escape from the mainstream and explore the medieval towns of Olite ( p487 ) and Tudela ( p488 ) Get high on the pure air of the Navarran Pyrenees ( p488 ) AREA: 22,670 SQ KM AVE SUMMER TEMP: HIGH 28°C, POP: 3.02 MILLION LOW 12°C BASQUE COUNTRY, NAVARRA & LA RIOJA 450 0 30 km BASQUE COUNTRY, NAVARRA & LA RIOJA 0 16 miles Somo Santoña Bermeo Bay of Biscay &LARIOJA BASQUE COUNTRY,NAVARRA 7 Santander Laredo Plentzia ATLANTIC OCEAN A6 Castro- Bakio Muriedas Urdiales Elantxobe Sopelana Hondarribia Hendaye Oriñón Gatica Mundaka Lekeitio Parque CabárcenoSolares Getxo San Sebastián San Sebastían Limpias A8 Santurtzi Leioa Ondarroa (Donostia) Pasajes Ampuero Cueva de Irún Airport N634 Portugalete Guernica Zumaia Getaria Dantxarinea CANTABRIA Bilbao Santimamiñe Zarautz Renteria FRANCE Ranero Mutriku Astigarraga Arredondo Baracaldo Airport Bolívar A8 Museo Zugarramurdi Markina Hernani Etxalar Villacarriedo Ramales Bilbao (Bilbo) Chillida Lesaka Puerto de Otxondo San Roque de la Basauri Iruzubieta Leku de Riomiera Karrantza GUIPÚZCOA N121B Erratzu Victoria (Carranza) VIZCAYA Vega Azpeitia A1 Elizondo Puerto de Puerto de Pas Puerto de la Sía Durango Eibar Arizkun Izpegui de Bragía Llodio Elorrio Santuario de Tolosa Arraioz Areatza Loyola Irurita Río de Lizartza Ziga Puerto de Urquiola Bergara Trueda Puerto Puerto Valcarlos (Luzaide) N623 N240 Amboto Beasain Parque de Velate de Ibañeta (1327m) Larraitz Natural de Roncesvalles Puerto Oñati Ordizia (Orreaga) Embalse Embalse de Idiazabal Aralar Lekunberri de Orduña Txindoki Burguete Larrau del Ebro Urrunaga Altxueta (1343m) (Auritz) Orbaitzeta Arantzazu (1341m) N121A N622 Villareal Zegama Santuario de San Arive de Álava Miguel de Aralar Garralda Ochagavia NA140 Embalse de Otzaurte N135 AP68 Ullivarri Uztárroz Vitoria NA172 Escároz Airport Isaba Orbaneja del Mendoza A15 Esparza Zuriza Burlada Museo Castillo Salvatierra Vitoria Oteiza Güesa Roncal San Martín de Trespaderne A1 Elines (Gasteiz) Monasterio Pamplona NA178 Ansó A132 ÁLAVA NA137 de Iranzu Pamplona Airport (Iruña) Echo N330 Río ro N111 Burgui Eb N240 Canfranc Oña (Estación) Miranda de Ebro Estella (Lizarra) Puente la N623 Santa Cruz Lumbier Reina Monasterio de A132 Pancorbo Villatuerta (Gares) Yesa Leyre Azuelo Ayegui NAVARRA BURGOS AP1 Labastida Jaca Haro Sangüesa Javier Embalse N627 Los Arcos de Yesa Laguardia R í Casalarreine Elciego Viana Torres o n ó Briones Tafalia del Río Ujué g Sos del Rey Católico A HUESCA a AP68 r r Logroño g Olite a A N232 A15 o ll í Gá eg Belorado N120 Nájera ío o R R Santo Navarrete Domingo de N120 la Calzada San Millán AP68 Carcastillo Uncastillo N111 Tardajos de Cogolla Ausejo N121 Burgos El Villar Calahorra Ayerbe LA RIOJA de Arnedo Sádaba PALENCIA Arnedo ZARAGOZA Arnedillo A127 N232 Ejea de los lonelyplanet.com Villanueva N3 A1 Encisco N234 Quintanilla de las Viñas de Cameros Caballeros Valdecevillo Tudela Covarrubias Montenegro Cornego Cintruénigo de Cameros C110 A23 Lerma Salas de los Infantes SORIA Cascante LR333 LR115 Santo Domingo de Silos Monteagudo Vinuesa Mallen Tauste N133 Tarazona Basque Speakers’ and known in Spanish asEl andknowninSpanish Basque Speakers’ the the‘land of as EuskadiorEuskalHerria, The Basque Countryproper,knowntoBasques BASQUE COUNTRY lonelyplanet.com offer. When the Spanish Civil War erupted, Spanish CivilWarerupted, When the offer. the both Guipúzcoa andVizcaya tookup (self-government) totheBasques in1936, homerule thepossibilityof drid proposed Castiliancluded aconsiderable contingent. in- never uniform,asallBasque provinces wasestablished in1894,supportwas Party) (PNV; Basque Nationalist Nacionalista Vasco although thePartido Basque nationalism.Yet, their coveted strippedof were exceptNavarra provinces theBasques). of ments, knownasthe broadautonomyarrange- extracted provinces BasqueCastilian andthethree orbit,Navarra whentheycamewithinthe until 1512.Even aseparate kingdom constituted ficulty; Navarra (1000–1450), although withconsiderabledif- during theMiddleAges Basque territories over sionist Castilian crowngainedsovereignty or lesstoitself, buttheexpan- Country more theRomanslefthilly Basque grations. Even even theearliest knownmi- believed topredate is here their oralhistory);butpresence nomigrationmythin came from(theyhave theBasque people knowswhere No-one quite History ways curious,andalwaysrewarded. through theBasque Countryal- You travel withintriguingpossibilities. seem toresonate (Basque: andVizcaya(Basque: Araba) Bizkaia) Guipúzcoa(Basque: Gipuzkoa),Álava inces of uniqueandintriguingidentities. have emphaticallyBasque, yet thatare and villages towns Atevery turnare and variedcoastline. sea thatwashesontoitsequallyfascinating thegreat ject alwaystothequixoticweatherof andsub- swathedinforest, often rocky ridges, San Sebastián. tumblinghillsand It’salandof Bilbao,Vitoriaand delightful maincitiesof a landthatdemandsexplorationbeyondits violence, althoughthisis onlytimewilltell, political fromtheshadowof fully emerging identity.Hope- phantly withitsmultifaceted tocopetrium- manages somehow Vasco, Pais When the Republican government inMa- When theRepublican government Second Carlist Warin1876all the After prov- three theregion’s thenamesof Even fueros, BASQUE COUNTRY••History thereby fuellingnascent thereby fueros fueros (the ancientlaws quently recognised as one of Spain’sofficial asoneof quently recognised the 3rdcenturyAD. included inscriptionsinBasque datingfrom nearVitoria Iruña-Veleia of site chaeological in2006atthear- butdiscoveries province, ) atSanMillánde laCogollainLa Rioja p496 ( deSuso manuscripts foundattheMonasterio thought tobe11th-century elementswere ten Itsearliestwrit- languages. European familyof totheIndo- with noknownrelationship Europe’s oldestandmostquixoticlanguages, asbeingoneof isacknowledged language KnownasEuskara,theBasquethings Basque. certainlyall encapsulates language Hugo, and isacountry’,said‘The Basque Victor language Language ambitions. itsnationalist toprogress likely ever more theBasque Countryseemsto theregions, autonomy aboutstrengthened ing positive prov- in2006,andwithMadrid final ceasefire declaringwhatis,hopefully,a and Freedom) Basques ETA; ( Askatasuna tion EuskadiTa followed. paid ahigh priceforinthefourdecadesthat sided withtheRepublicans,adecisionthey Franco, whileVizcayaandGuipúzcoa ported conservative sup- andÁlava ruralNavarra Suppressed byFranco,Basque wassubse-Suppressed organisa- Today, withtheBasque terrorist turismo bulego turismoa/turismo ongi etorri nekazal kontuz! komuna/k nagusia kale kalea jatetxea erdialdea erdia aireportua Spanish Basque English signs includethefollowing: Basque wordsthatcommonlyappearon SIGNS INBASQUE centre centre street street caution/ restaurant restaurant agrotourism city centre centre city toilet/s welcome airport main street c street main tourist office tourist tourism turismo homes beware! ciudad oficina de turismo bienvenido rurales casas ¡atención! servicios calle restaurante dela centro centro aeropuerto mayor 451 alle RIOJA LA & NAVARRA COUNTRY, BASQUE 452 BASQUE COUNTRY •• Sport lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com BASQUE COUNTRY •• Bilbao 453 sauce). Meat usually turns up as delicious stews History BASQUE NATIONALISM throughout the Basque Country and as chuletas Bilbao was granted the title of villa (a city state) Basque nationalism is many faceted, yet at its heart, its motivation lies in the Basque peoples’ de buey (enormous beef chops). Other distinc- in 1300, and