THREE PLACES, THREE DISHES, THREE MINUTES
A project by students of C1 English at EOI Oviedo.
Read our recommendations to visit amazing places in Asturias and nearby areas, and to taste the delicious cuisine from these parts of Northern Spain.
By Markus Bernet - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12266079
Edited and published by Silvia Ferreiro Sopeña INDEX
Page 1 - SILVIA GONZÁLEZ DEL BUSTO recommends:
• Amada Carlota in Cabranes • Casa Tataguyo in Avilés • El Sibarita in San Juan de la Arena
Page 2 - MARTA LOPEZ BAAMONDE recommends:
• Las Catedrales beach between Foz and Ribadeo • Gaivota campsite in San Cosme de Barreiros, • Ribadeo.
Page 3 - LUCÍA MENÉNDEZ BARREIRO recommends: • Rodiles • El Gaitero in Villaviciosa • Llanes
Page 4 - JOSE MIGUEL MILLA CRESPO recommends: • Coast: Eo Estuary from Los Santos’ Bridge, a tiny sandy cove close to St Antonio beach, and La Canalina beach • Inland: Coballes and Vega de Brañagallones • Elvers al pil-pil
Page 5 - JOSE MARÍA CASTRILLO FERNÁNDEZ recommends:
• Muniellos Natural Reserve • Carajitos del Profesor recipe
Page 6 - JENNIFFER FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ recommends:
• Las Médulas, Peñalba de Santiago and Toral de Merayo Teahouse in El Bierzo • Botillo
Page 7 - JAIME GARCÍA LOSA recommends:
• Llames de Pría • Grilled fish in a little restaurant next to the beach
Page 8 - GERMÁN GONZÁLEZ GARCÍA recommends:
• The restaurants La Máquina and Tierra Astur. • Vega de Urriello • Playa del Silencio
Page 9 - ENRIQUE CASAL BANCIELLA recommends:
• Ballota, Torimbia and Toranda beaches • Deep-fried monkfish, squid rings, stuffed onions and casadielles
Page 10 - BELÉN SÁNCHEZ BENÉITEZ recommends:
• Via Verde de Fuso de la Reina • Casa Cristina in Tellego • Bueño
Page 11 - ANA RIERA PAZ recommends:
• The mining village of Bustiello • Colombres • The Bear Trail
Page 12 - ANA M. ALONSO FERNÁNDEZ recommends:
• Covadonga • Tazones • Tito Bustillo cave • Pantrucu
Page 13 - ALEJANDRO RIVERA FERNÁNDEZ recommends:
• Gijón • Mieres • San Pedro de la Nave (in El Campillo, Zamora)
Page 14 - ANA FLÓREZ GONZÁLEZ recommends:
• Oviedo: The Cathedral of San Salvador, Gascona (torto and cachopo), The Campoamor Theatre
• Casa Fermín
Page 15 - AZUCENA ÁLVAREZ GARCÍA recommends:
• Gulpiyuri beach in Llanes • Campa Torres in Gijón • Oviedo Cathedral
Page 16 - ISABEL MERINO NATAL recommends:
• Driving from Asturias to León through the San Isidro Mountain Pass
SILVIA GONZÁLEZ DEL BUSTO recommends:
Amada Carlota - La Cotariella, 16 - Cabranes
Even if the name doesn’t suggest it, it’s a Japanese restaurant and a hotel country house too, but I’ve never stayed there. I only went to the restaurant.
The best about this place is the location surrounded by majestic mountains. The quietness and greenness are astounding. They have a sitting area or terrace where you can have a drink, enjoy the scenery and take photos, so taking your camera or smartphone is a must.
The restaurant is run by a couple. They gave us a warm welcome and they treated us fantastically. They only have 4 or 5 tables and you must book at least 24 hours in advance. You can enjoy authentic Japanese food, like Sushi, which is delicious cooked rice shaped into pieces and topped with raw fish like salmon, red tuna... Sometimes it’s confused with sashimi, which is just sliced raw fish.
The menu is fixed. You may think that is a drawback, but I appreciated it, because when I go to a Japanese restaurant, I never know what to order… The menu consists of 9 Photo by Silvia González del Busto 2 dishes -which the owner explains in detail- but it is not very heavy on the stomach. The snag is that it’s expensive. It costs 35 euros per person - drinks not included. After the meal, you can have a coffee (Nespresso machine) or a Japanese tea. At the end they will give you an original bill with stamps in Japanese, Photo by Silvia González del Busto 1 but you probably won’t understand anything…
Casa Tataguyo (Avilés) – Plaza Carbayedo, 4
I love it but I may be biased because it´s where I was born. I really believe that it has changed a lot lately and it´s not the small grey town that used to be at all.
When it comes to food, Avilés is a very important fishing port so you can enjoy wonderful fish dishes, but you can´t miss our famous longaniza de Aviles, (cooked sausage), a typical dish for sharing. Casa Tataguyo is the best place to eat it.
El Sibarita - San Juan de la Arena. Soto del Barco. Bajada la Rula.
I prefer going there in summer and enjoy the atmosphere of this picturesque fishing port while eating a delicious menu that consists of paella with lobster on the terrace. Then, they will offer you to choose between steak or fish and a homemade dessert. The portions are large. I think that it´s a pleasure to enjoy paella with lobster, considering that the whole menu costs just 20 euros. It´s worth it!
-1- MARTA LOPEZ BAAMONDE recommends:
First, I am going to talk about Las Catedrales beach. The landscape there is breath-taking, with their high cliffs, the natural arcs, eroded by the sea. It used to be wild, without roads, just paths. Sadly, this is over. Nowadays it has changed for the worst and has become a spot for tour operators. A touristy place packed with tourists. Ecologists have protested about it, and also the local people.
The community government (Xunta de Galicia) put an end two years ago. They decided to limit the number of tourists and made compulsory to book in advance on the Internet.
Another place which is worth visiting is the Gaivota campsite. It is in San Cosme de Barreiros, close to several beaches. This campsite hasn’t got any tents. Instead, there are wooden huts made of glass and stone. It has been built by an artist called Celso Dourado, who also runs the place. The views from there are amazing, they take your breath away. You can see several beaches around, and you can hear the sea like a commons.wikimedia.org 1 lullaby.
Finally, I would like to describe Ribadeo. It is located on the estuary of the river Eo. This village has a street market, which is held every Wednesday and Sunday. There you can find vegetables, clothes, books, etc. There are also other places to visit. For example, La Isla Pancha, a picturesque place, where you can find an old lighthouse, nowadays a hotel.
Ribadeo is famous for its excellent shopping areas. There are lots of local stores, which draw lots of people. For example, Marta Barcala, a Galician chain store in Rúa Rodriguez Murias 5 in Ribadeo and in the same street, Valentina a boutique for fashion lovers. Last but not least is Calzados La Moda, a shoeshop in Rúa Reinante 2 in Ribadeo, where they sell the most important shoe brands.
Restaurants are also a must. For example, Casa Pepe. commons.wikimedia.org 2 The speciality of this restaurant is grilled steak or pork. You can also order monkfish, cod and hake in several preparations: boiled, grilled or fried. Desserts there are delicious, for example chocolate or rice puddings.
-2-
LUCÍA MENÉNDEZ BARREIRO recommends:
Rodiles has it all: it is a part of the Natural Reserve on Villaviciosa Estuary, a place where you can observe and hear rare birds, enjoy a walk in the eucalyptus and pine forests or on the sand dunes around the beach and learn new things about geology due to the really weird cliffs that surround the beach and the estuary. The beach is very long, almost 1 kilometre of fine sand and some rocks at the end, so you will not have any problem if you want to find space to sit. It has been constantly awarded with the Blue Flag, which means that is one of the cleanest beaches in Spain. It is surrounded by a small forest with wooden tables and benches where you can enjoy your picnic away from the sun and the heat. There is a bar/restaurant right where the forest ends and a lot more if you walk 200-500 meters in either direction. It’s also a good surfing and fishing spot.
Near Villaviciosa you can visit El Gaitero Cider Factory, which commons.wikimedia.org commenced in the late 19th century with the first building for making cider. El Gaitero is more than just a brand and a factory, it symbolizes a family way of doing business, based on raw material and product directly linked to the natural essence of the land of Asturias, the cider. It is definitely worth discovering, so as to understand the essence of Asturias and its history. In this visit they will explain how they make cider, and how this process is. At the end of the visit you will have the opportunity to taste a variety of ciders.
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Llanes is a very good place to visit in the summer, the city centre is amazing, among other historical structures, it has more than 300 metres of pre-Romanesque wall from the 13th century; the Castle Tower, which is now the site of the Tourist Office; the Basilica of Santa María del Conceyu, which was started in the mid-12th century; the palaces of Gaztañaga and of the Dukes of Estrada and the old house of Posada Herrera, today made into a Muncipal Arts Centre. Llanes also has magnificent beaches, like those of San Antolín, Torimbia, Barro, Celorio, Poo, Sablón and Toró.
If you want to have lunch in Llanes, let me give you a tip: I highly recommend you Casa Canene or Covadonga restaurant, they are both in the same street in the centre, and they are cheap. I love these places, because they leave the cooking pot on your table so you can help yourself to as much as you want.
-3- JOSE MIGUEL MILLA CRESPO recommends:
Some off-the-beaten-track places to visit on the coast: Eo Estuary from Los Santos’ Bridge that allows us to see Castropol, Figueras and Ribadeo. A broad landscape from which we can contemplate Trenor Palace and Figueras harbor on the left, Ribadeo on the right and in the centre end, the white silhouette of Castropol that emerges from the Eo estuary. The tower of the church stands out against the sky and, if it is clear but patterned with clouds, the spectacle is outstanding. A tiny sandy cove close to St Antonio beach. It is necessary to walk 30 min. from Cuevas del Mar beach to reach it, but it is worth it. Prior to arriving at San Antonio chapel, on the right side of the path, green water bathes a square-shaped tiny cove surrounded by three high stone walls that make it only accessible from the sea or rappelling from the upper surface. In the front wall there is a cave that hosts the sea in full tide. La Canalina beach is a slash that creates a narrow gorge, near La Huelga beach. From a nearby carpark and going down quite a number of steps, it is possible to reach a 3-meter-wide beach narrowed between two impressive cliffs. Out of the gorge and close to its mouth, a huge and stiff rock helps to frame the image.
Inland: The small village of Coballes seen from the carpark of Bar Linares, two km from the village of Tanes, on the road to Campo de Caso. It is a remote and peaceful spot that contains water, greenness, sky and human presence. A bunch of white houses with red roofs seem to be hanging from the sky, riding down a green slope that floats on Tanes´s reservoir. Vega de Brañagallones is a stunning “vega” or small valley surrounded by high mountains. Starting from Bezanes, a small village in Caso, driving or hiking uphill on a dirt track, some spots commons.wikimedia.org prepare us to a surprising finale. First, we cross a beech tree forest, before making it to Fuente del Andorviu -Andorviu´s natural springs-. Then we reach Argayu del Llobu (the Wolf´s Landslide), which is a bend on the track where a steep green slope seems to be prone to gliding. We immediately face a huge rock that is crossed by a tunnel and then the surprise comes: The Vega shows up as if a curtain were drawn open, and we begin to make out a plane green area amid trees. It is a large stage surrounded by huge mountains. Herds of Asturian horses graze green grass. On the right end a shelter spoils the scene, but despite this and other small huts, we can tell this is an astonishing place.
A dish to taste: Elvers al pil-pil. We pour a squirt of olive oil into a clay casserole, then add some garlic slices and spicy pepper when the oil starts to boil. That is the moment to put a handful of elvers into the scalding oil, just stir with a wooden fork and serve.
commons.wikimedia.org -4- JOSE MARÍA CASTRILLO FERNÁNDEZ recommends:
One of my favourite places in the “wild Asturias” is Muniellos. Classified as a Natural Integral Reserve, it is a primordial woodland which covers an area of about 55 square kilometres, in the lands of Cangas del Narcea and Ibias Councils. It extends up to 1,500 metres, and down to 680 m in Tablizas reception centre, which is in charge of regulating everything in this fantastic and unspoilt forest. There are no villages inside, the closest one is Moal, no more than 10 km beyond, and by the way, awarded with the Princess of Asturias 2018 Award as Exemplary Town of Asturias.
Regarding the forest itself, it´s placed in a mountainous expanse full of trees, especially Sessile oaks (Quercus petraea), and beech trees (Fagus sylvatica) in the shade scopes. Nevertheless, you can admire many other species, as birch trees (Betula pendula), maple trees (Acer rubrum), ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior), and even the touched-by-mythology yew (Taxus baccata), being poisonous in all their parts. As a testimony of the purity and humidity in the air of this environment, there is an abundance of lichens and mosses. They give the forest its special image full of colour and mysticism. Apart from the famous and emblematic bears and capercaillies, you can Photo by Chema Castrillo find many other species of animals in this oasis of diversity, as roe deer, wild boars, hawks, golden eagles, and even otters in the different streams that converge in the main river that crosses the woods. There is a path that will guide you from Tablizas, running parallel to the river in its first stretch, which invites you to climb up until you find two small lakes, which can be an unforgettable experience in Nature.
If you want to access to this Reserve, you must book it in advance on the official website, because visits are restricted to only twenty people a day, due to the special protection regime which tries to preserve it untouched.
As the sweet-tooth person that I am, I´m in love with many Asturian desserts, but I have a special predilection for Carajitos del Professor, a pastry from our region made of eggs, hazelnuts and sugar. They were created in 1918 in the village of Salas.
This is an easy traditional recipe that everybody can try at home to enjoy a delicious Asturian dessert -although I guess that you´ll never get the accurate taste of the originals that you can find in restaurants, or for sale, in the area of Salas or Cornellana-:
Ingredients: 250 gr ground hazelnuts, 130 gr sugar, and 90 gr egg white. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Prepare the oven tray, covering it with baking paper. Peel and crush the hazelnuts with a food processor. commons.wikimedia.org Put the dough in a bowl, then add sugar and mix it, stirring it well, in order to integrate both ingredients. Then add the egg white, one by one, stirring the resulting dough with a fork, to let it be absorbed by the hazelnut. We must obtain a soft dough. Take pieces of the pastry with a soup spoon and stretch them over the paper on the oven tray. Put it in the oven. Bake it for 20 minutes, or until browned. Then remove them from the oven and let them cool slowly. If you have followed my instructions, and with a pinch of luck… I can assure you won´t regret it.
-5- JENNIFFER FERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ recommends:
There are lots of places in El Bierzo that are worth visiting, so for me it’s nearly impossible to pick only three but… here they are!
Las Médulas. It’s a World Heritage Site whose amazing reddish landscape will win your heart. It was a gold mine during the Roman Empire. Romans used a technique called ruina montium to extract the gold. It consisted in filling galleries with water making them explode and dragging the gold to panning sites. You can have a nice walk up a path surrounded by old chestnuts and oaks… and once you get there, crawl and explore the cave. Don’t forget your camera (or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life) because there is a wonderful viewpoint called Orellán, from where you can take nice panoramic commons.wikimedia.org photographs.
Peñalba de Santiago. If you enjoy nature, this is your place. Declared Asset of Cultural Interest and one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, Peñalba will make you feel free. Rivers, waterfalls, forests… I can’t explain how wonderful it is being hugged by this valley called Valle del Silencio. You must visit its Mozarabic church, and for those who like trekking, there’s a cave only 2 km from the village, to where a monk called San Genadio retired th in the 10 century. The most picturesque place ever! Photo by Jenniffer Fernández González
Toral de Merayo teahouse. You may think this tiny village can’t offer anything, but if you explore it a bit, you’ll find the best place in El Bierzo to chill while having a homemade and delicious iced tea. This incredible place is outdoors (so it only opens during summer) and it is entirely decorated with recycled materials and colourful fabrics. There are carpets and cushions everywhere, flowers planted in military boots, some tables inside the stream… A hippie and charming place to relax with friends (including pets, of course!).
Photo by Jenniffer Fernández González
What to eat
The main dish in El Bierzo is botillo. It’s made of different parts of the pig, including ribs, tail as well as some bones, all spiced and cured with smoke. It’s usually cooked in stew with cabbage and chorizo. Really tasty… and calorific!
-6- JAIME GARCÍA LOSA recommends:
Llames de Pría is a little town on the western coast of Asturias, 8 km from Ribadesella and 20 from Llanes.
There´s a beautiful and unique beach called Guadamía. It is a narrow canal that seems like a natural pool when the tide is in and, when the tide is out, it is a long area with white and smooth sand perfect for sunbathing or simply walking. A little river runs through the beach, but in summer it’s almost dry.
You should visit the cliffs if you decide to come. When the sea is rough and the tide is in, you can see there a spectacular force of nature: the Bufones de Pría. The waves hit the stone walls of the cliff and go through the cracks with more and more pressure, so the water goes out to the surface with a tremendous noise and strength, making the ground tremble (it´s like a geyser).
If you get bored on the beach, don´t worry, there are one or two hiking paths for trekking along the cliffs, through the meadows where the cows are pasturing, with marvellous views of the sea on one side and the Photo by Jaime García Losa 1 mountains on the other. You can walk from Llames to a pretty and little beach called San Antonio, along a track with signs. Be patient because it´s a two-hour walk and don’t forget to wear proper shoes.
And don´t miss the opportunity to see the sunset from the cliffs at dusk!
Next to the beach you can eat in a little restaurant with fantastic views. Its terrace has only five or six tables, so I recommend you book in advance. It´s only open from June to September. They are specialised in local fresh fish. The grilled fish is fantastic, and they offer some of the tastiest fish from the Cantabric Sea, like lubina (sea bass), sargo (sheepshead), merluza (hake), rodaballo (turbot) or salmonete (red mullet). Grilled only with olive oil, and a bit of garlic, they serve these with drops of lemon juice and some chips. You can accompany it with a simple salad, lettuce, tomato and onion. Nothing else. You can ask for fried fish too, for example, bocartes (very little sardines) or calamares de potera (squids) are delicious. The have grilled bonito del norte (tuna fish) in August, it´s very affordable and delicious. And, if you can afford it, the menu has seafood too. The smell of grilled andaricas (little sea crabs) as you are approaching the restaurant is absolutely tempting. Percebes (barnacles) are on the menu too, but they are very expensive, as well as Photo by Jaime García Losa 2 the bogavante (lobster). They have some white wines, but I strongly recommend you drink cider, it goes perfectly well with the fish, and it´s not expensive. Take my word for it, it´s really worth eating here in summer.
-7- GERMAN GONZÁLEZ GARCÍA recommends:
Regarding food, if you want to try the best fabada go to La Máquina, in Lugones. It’s the best value for money I know. It’s as light as a feather on the stomach and extremely tasty. For dessert, rice pudding is delicious.
My second piece of advice for restaurants is Tierra Astur in Colloto. It is a cider bar trying to emulate a real cider house. You can have cider directly poured from the huge barrels and taste the Asturian cheeses and beef (a sirloin or a picaña would be a good choice). For dessert, casadielles are exquisite. They are a mix of sugar, milled nuts and hazelnuts wrapped in a special pastry and deep-fried. If you go on Thursday evening you can get a free bus from Oviedo, and also enjoy live music.
And finally, enjoy the local seafood or fresh fish in a local bar by the sea in a little village, such as Cudillero, Lastres or Tazones. Fried squid, rice with clams or with lobster can make your trip unforgettable.
The first place I suggest visiting is Urriello’s plain (Vega de Urriello). I’m not very fond of mountaineering, but a friend of mine convinced me once to go there. And it was really worth it. We went there in August and the weather was unbeatable. We went by car, a four-wheel drive, to Pandébano, near Sotres. From there, we followed a 7 Km mountain path to reach Uriello’s plain and shelter. The Naranjo de Bulnes or Urriellu peak is behind the shelter. You must ascend about 850 metres. We spent the night there in this shelter, which has 96 bunk beds. Lying on the grass at night, looking at the stars and at that imposing mass of rock, with its 550 metres high vertical wall, is one the most exciting experience you can have.
The second place is the Beach of Silence (Playa del Silencio). It is located about sixteen km west of Cudillero. You must go to Castañeras village by car. It is thoroughly advisable to leave the car there and continue on foot to get to the beach. The views from the cliff top are staggering, outstanding. Then you commons.wikimedia.org descend a sloping zigzagging path. The beach is about five-hundred-metre long, narrow when the tide is in, but if the weather is sunny and bright and the sea is calm you can really feel relaxed and de-stressed.
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-8- ENRIQUE CASAL BANCIELLA recommends:
In Asturias there is a wide variety of activities even underground, but if the forecast predicts a sunny day, there is nothing better than going to the beach and enjoying the astonishing landscape of the coast. A long path of 200 km runs along the coast line. If you ask me, I’d prefer the eastern coast, I find the west typically windy. In the area of Llanes, it is said that there are more than forty beaches. Many of them are very small, even tiny, but they are probably the most beautiful virgin sandy coves in Europe. Although I am devoted to all of them, I’d recommend you Ballota, Torimbia or Toranda. Be aware they can only be reached on foot, so you will have to carry all the beach stuff with you - towel, air mattress, sunshade, e-book, ball … - for 1 km or so.
After spending the morning just playing football, Photo by Enrique Casal Banciella walking along the shore, having a vigorous swim, enjoying the sun, the green surroundings, the blue sea, the music of the waves…, maybe your stomach will call for your attention reminding you that it’s time to have lunch. I’d go for K’Ladio, the cathedral of the traditional Asturian cuisine. Planning ahead, I’d book in advance a table on the terrace to enjoy the outstanding landscape. While having lunch, sea and mountain merge in front of your eyes. Obviously, the monarch of the local dishes is the fabada, a stew of white beans with smoked meats and sausages. But it’s too heavy of a load for a sunny day, so I’d suggest choosing a lighter option and sharing different fish dishes. I’d order fritos de pixín (deep-fried monkfish) calamares fritos (fried squid rings) cebollas rellenas (onions stuffed with tuna fish), a table of smoked meats… Caution with your food allergies! To drink, cider is a must. The mildly alcoholic apple juice is served escanciada, poured directly from the bottle into a wide-mouth glass from the height of your extended arm. This makes the difference between a bear drinking the fresh water of a high mountain spring and a dead rat in the poisonous water of a puddle. Cider, like blood, is life as it flows and death when it stagnates.
To round off with a gold pin it’s time for desserts. You can judge a nation not only for the development of civil rights but also for its desserts. And so, Asturias is the cradle of one of the greatest empires in History. You can enjoy a great variety of cheese, cakes, rice pudding, frixuelos (thin pancakes), honey and nuts, … I´d go for …. None of the above. At this point I just recommend you to ask for the bill and leftovers (it’s not the time to be shy) because if my mum is not very busy, I’ll ask her to make a dozen of casadielles for you, a masterpiece, a true shortcut to heaven. When placing them into your mouth, you will be gifted with a crunchy buttered pastry filled with a balanced mixture of crushed nuts, sugar and anise… I could show you the recipe, but then I’d have commons.wikimedia.org to kill you.
Finally, to calm your bad conscience for breaking your diet, I´d strongly recommend a walk along the coastline, it will be enough to recomfort your soul.
-9- BELÉN SÁNCHEZ BENÉITEZ recommends:
THE PERFECT RURAL GETAWAY: If you’ve chosen Oviedo as your holiday destination, I’ll recommend you a whole and pleasant day-trip around the city, after your panoramic and cultural sightseeing of our handsome town and its exquisite Pre-Romanesque buildings.
Put on your comfy shoes and start a relaxing walk along the vía verde de Fuso de la Reina, a flat and easy ancient railway, now well paved, which you can do on foot or by bike or skates. In only 7.5 Km, it takes you from the urban area, the noisy cars and city life, to the peaceful Asturian landscape of cows, birds and the river’s murmur.
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After this pleasant walk, I’m sure you are looking . forward to eating a delicious and traditional meal,
so a good choice could be CASA CRISTINA a family restaurant with a small picnic area, placed in . Tellego, only 10 minutes by car. Cristina, its owner, will recommend you delicious dishes of our stounding cuisine, like fabada (stew of big white beans), pote, pitu de caleya (free-range cockerel), or our typical lip-smacking desserts.
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Taking a nap or walking off your lunch? If your choice is the second, very close to Tellego, only 10 minutes by car, you can go to Bueño, a small village with the best collection of hórreos (Asturian granaries), the most typical rural construction in Asturias. Strolling quietly around the alleys of this charming village could be the best way to end up your rural getaway around the Oviedo outskirts. commons.wikimedia.org 3
-10- ANA RIERA PAZ recommends:
Within the industrial tourism hotspots, it is worth mentioning the mining village of Bustiello. This mining village which is situated in the south of the borough of Mieres was built in the late 19th century by Sociedad Huellera an important mining company property of the Maqués of Comillas. The company intended to take care of the lives of workers beyond the workplace. In order to do so, they built a series of facilities such as: semi-detached houses with a backyard house for the workers and for the engineers and supervisors, a school, a church, a health centre, and leisure and culture facilities such as a casino. It was meant to house as many as 1200 inhabitants. It’s unique ‘cos it was the only village of this type ever built in Asturias and it is protected by the Spanish Heritage Law with the denomination of BIC. For those interested in getting an insight into this mining village, you can go to The Visitors Centre, in one of the ancient houses, the so-called Chalet de commons.wikimedia.org Don Isidro. Here visitors can learn about the geological and industrial importance of the mining area and about the characteristics of the village from a historical and artistic point of view. There are also guided visits to the site which require prior appointment.
Colombres is the capital city of the borough of Ribadedeva located in the easternmost tip of Asturias in the borough of Ribadedeva. It was awarded the exemplary village award back in 2015. Here we can find The Indianos Archives and Emigration Museum about the Indianos, that is, returning emigrants who had made their fortune in the Americas (specially in Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, etc.). It preserves the largest collection of Indiano architecture in Asturias which is characterised by its magnificent houses so that the former emigrants could show off their new status as rich men. In connection with this, we have the so-called Route of the Casonas de Indianos. Colombres also holds other festivals such as The Indianos Fair.
For a change I would recommend trying a route, The Bear Trail. For example, the Bear Valleys which comprise the municipalities of Santo Adriano, Prozac, Quirós and Teverga. It is 20 kms away, a half an hour drive from Oviedo and it is a perfect route to get to know the area occupied by the brown Bear. The bear trail, which is 33 kms long, was built on a former railroad and this trail can be done either on foot or by bicycle (there are plenty of places to rent bicycles along the way). It is of a low difficulty level and even though its total length is 33 km, you can simply do a shorter stretch of the route (6km) till the Bear enclosure where two bears live after being rescued from poachers (Tola and Villarina). Nearby you can find the Quirós Ethnographic Museum that allows you to discover the ways of the rural people of Asturias over the last two centuries. Stuffed onions are a dish which is traditional from the town of El Entrego (borough of San Martín del Rey Aurelio). There is even in a popular gastronomic festival in autumn which revolves around this dish. The ingredients that go with the white tuna inside the onion can vary but the typical filling is tuna.
I include the recipe here in case you want to try it out: boil the onions until tender. Remove a little onion from the centre with a teaspoon, leaving a hole. commons.wikimedia.org In a frying pan, mix together the removed onion, white tuna, tomato sauce and a pinch of salt. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then fill each onion with the mixture. Bake lightly for a few minutes. Add bits of tuna on top.
-11- ANA M. ALONSO FERNÁNDEZ recommends:
Covadonga is called “the heart of Asturias”, because Don Pelayo triumphed over the Muslim troops there and was proclaimed the first king of the Asturian kingdom in Cangas de Onís. Covadonga is a sanctuary and a pilgrimage site, and it is located inside a grotto devoted to “La Santina” and surrounded by waterfalls. It is worthwhile visiting the National Park and Biosphere Reserve and its lakes Enol and Ercina, surrounded by majestic mountains, valleys and meadows. I recommend tasting “Pote asturiano”, a stew made with cured meat, white beans, potatoes, black pudding, ham bone and cabbage. The day before the beans are soaked in water, then all the ingredients are stewed together with the chopped cabbage.
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Tazones is a charming harbor near the estuary of Villaviciosa. It was the first place that the Emperor Charles I came across on his first trip to Spain. It´s a fishing village with a long whaling tradition. It has lively restaurants and terraces which offer fish and seafood. You can look for dinosaur footprints on its coast and get close to the lighthouse area, one of the most well preserved on the Asturian coast. commons.wikimedia.org I also recommend tasting sea urchins, they are served raw with lemon.
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Tito Bustillo cave is one of the best-preserved Paleolithic Art sites in the world. It is considered as part of the World Heritage. The main panel contains a large amount of animal representations, techniques and styles: deer, horses, reindeer, goats, bison... It has also lines and signs difficult to interpret. If you go down to Ribadesella you should taste “pantrucu” or “emberzau”, a typical sausage from the east of Asturias. It resembles black pudding, with corn and wheat flour, bacon, onion and blood.
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-12- ALEJANDRO RIVERA FERNÁNDEZ recommends:
Here is Asturias you may find many interesting places since the land is as beautiful as its peoples, you can also be astonished with their infamous and hypercaloric food, which makes Asturias the best considered by all Spaniards.
Gijon: could it be the best city in Spain? Maybe, because of the streets, the boardwalk near the sea, the local stadium, the amazing parks, the industrial area, the outstanding harbor… But the most amazing are its inhabitants. Even the depressed areas of La Calzada are beautiful. The city itself has many museums like The Railway museum, the Botanical gardens (the second of Spain in extension) and many lovely churches. commons.wikimedia.org
A walk around Mieres: This small town is an example of the XX century industrial growth of Asturias. It used to be a dirty, polluted and depressive place but now it is on the way to recovering its natural beauty. For many decades after the Industrial Revolution, this city was the industrial heart of Asturias, it was one of our local Black Valleys, were coal was extracted and where many hundreds of workers migrated to from all over Spain. During the eighties and the nineties, it suffered a hard conversion into a modern and green city, with a new campus, green areas, etc. but it´s main industry is still coal mining, until 2019. This year, we are paying our dues. commons.wikimedia.org
San Pedro de la Nave (El Campillo): This monument is not from Asturias, but from Zamora, but it resembles our local monuments due to its origin. It was named after Saint Peter. Spain has a few examples of this style, which is the precursor of the Romanesque art, started by the kingdoms that inherited the Visigoth tradition. As an anecdote, this small church was moved from its original location due to the works on a hydroelectric plant during the late 20s. Finally, all the work took place between 1930 and 1932. Every single block, chunk or tombstone was moved to their new location and placed correctly as a big jigsaw puzzle.
This church gives us loads of information about the Visigoth Kingdom: a solar clock, masons’ marks, icons from the early Christians, and the myth of “santos barqueros” called Julián and Basilisa, who filled with anger killed their own parents and to redeem themselves they built the monastery and commons.wikimedia.org spend their whole life helping people.
-13- ANA FLÓREZ GONZÁLEZ recommends:
I have decided to choose a visit to the center of Oviedo. The reason why I selected Oviedo is that you can walk around the place without needing any means of transport.
Oviedo was founded by the king Alfonso II of Asturias known as Alfonso the Chaste, who made Oviedo the capital of Kingdom of Asturias, and lived in Oviedo with his court. He chose this strategic mountain location as a defense against attacks from the Muslim emirate of Córdoba. In the Old Town, the narrow pedestrian streets hint at the ambience of bygone eras. From the Town Hall square you can admire the impressive architecture that reflects the city's ancient heritage. It is a quadrangular shaped and apart from the Town Hall itself, the most valuable building here is the San Isidro church. From here, you can see the beautiful surroundings, including the fish square.
Straight ahead you will find the Cathedral of San Salvador of Oviedo. It is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica in the centre of Oviedo. The Cathedral was founded by King Fruela I of Asturias in 781 AD, and enlarged in 802 by his son Alfonso. It displays an array of architectural styles, from Pre-Romanesque to Baroque, including Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance parts. It began as a large Pre-Romanesque basilica in the present location of the Gothic cathedral, but nothing more is known about that first building. The chief feature of the cathedral is the Camara Santa, with its venerable relics. Bishop Pelagius relates that the Agate Box, a coffer made by the disciples of the Apostles and containing the most precious relics of the Holy City, was taken from Jerusalem to Africa, and after residing in several locations was finally placed at Oviedo by commons.wikimedia.org Alfonso II.
If you go down the street you will reach the lively Calle Gascona, also known as the cider boulevard, where you can eat lots of regional specialities – which go perfect with the typical Asturian cider (it is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples).The cider is poured from a height of about a metre, to aerate the drink and enhance its flavour. I recommend tasting torto de maíz, which consists in maize-flour flatbread, fried until it puffs up; they go with various accompaniments: minced chorizo with Cabrales cheese is the more typical but there are a lot of varieties; morcilla (blood sausage). The cachopo is made of two steaks, sandwiched together with cheese and a slice of ham, all coated in bread crumbs and fried up into a gooey, meaty plateful. Cachopo can also come stuffed with mushrooms, bacon, red pepper and cheese, cured meat and goat cheese, cabrales cheese and many other varieties.
Once you have eaten, you can walk to the prestigious Campoamor theatre. There is a lively cultural life here. It has retained its Belle-Époque essence, with its grand orchestra section, wide corridors, and high illuminated ceilings which impart a warm feeling to the hall. Here important personalities such as Plácido Domingo or Montserrat Caballé have sung. In addition to its cultural programming, it houses the city's Centre of Modern Art. Besides, some of the most illustrious and accomplished personages in Spain, Europe, and well beyond have come to this theatre annually since 1981 to accept their award of the Princess of Asturias Prize, Spain's equivalent of the Nobel Prizes. These awards are given to individuals, entities or commons.wikimedia.org organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs.
In the afternoon, you can visit some wonderful old pastry shops (Camilo de Blas, Rialto, Peñalba), and try some of their delicious pastries accompanied with a coffee. Then you’ll probably need to take a digestive drink to help you digest. Nevertheless, if you want to have dinner you can go to a restaurant called Casa Fermín where you can taste fresh fish prepared in a unique way.
-14- AZUCENA ÁLVAREZ GARCÍA recommends:
When I close my eyes and think about Asturies, the place where I was born, there are three things that come to mind: a colour (green), a smell (the smell of the sea) and a novel (“La Regenta” by Leopoldo Alas “Clarín”).
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When I talk about a colour, the colour green, the most fascinating landscape for me is the smallest and most hidden beach in Asturies. Crossing green fields full of flowers, we find a little but a very nice beach. What a marvellous surprise! It’s Gulpiyuri beach, in the county of Llanes, on the East coast of Asturies. Originally, it was a natural cave that was destroyed by the Cantabric Sea. As a result, the top of the cave fell into itself and became a beach of white sand. Its diameter is only 50 metres wide.
About a smell, the smell of the sea, Gulpiyuri beach is a good example, but in my opinion the most intense smell and the most incredible views of the sea can be found on Campa Torres, a natural cliff and an archaeological site located in Gijón. Before the Roman conquest (5th century BC) in this spectacular cliff lived the Cilúrnigo People, in other words, the “boiler makers”, people who made boilers. Among their Roman houses’ ruins, you can admire the breath-taking views of the Cantabric Sea and its blue horizon.
“La Regenta” is one of my favourite novels. Not for the plot (the sad story of a young woman who is married to an old man, the great political authority of Vetusta, a fiction name for the city of Oviedo), but for a historical and very nice building, almost the most important “character” of the novel: the Cathedral of Oviedo. I know, many people have this building among their favourites, but for me there is also a sentimental reason: I was born in Oviedo, I have visited and walked around the Cathedral endless times, and when I read the novel by Clarin (I was 14 years old), I fell in love with the building and the character of D. Fermín de Pas, a Catholic priest, who watched the city from its unique Gothic tower, which is a symbol of Asturies. The Cathedral is situated behind the defensive wall of the city and it was built between the eighth and ninth centuries. Inside there are countless amounts of religious jewels like chests with precious stones or a blessed piece of cloth with Christ’s face. Next to the Cathedral Photo by Azucena Álvarez there is a garden with the sculptures of the Asturian kings, the most relevant is Alfonso II, the first pilgrim to Santiago de Compostela. The primitive way to Santiago de Compostela starts from Oviedo Cathedral.
-15- ISABEL MERINO NATAL recommends:
I would like to invite you to travel to León through an unusual route: taking the road that crosses the San Isidro Mountain Pass. The trip will take you longer than using the conventional highway, but if you have the time, you will enjoy wonderful landscapes while driving through traditional mining villages, quiet valleys, and impressive mountains.
You must drive on the highway A-66 southwards, take the exit 54 and continue on the AS-112. On the way, you will pass through old coal mining towns like Santa Cruz, Caborana, Moreda and Cabañaquinta. Indeed, you can still observe the mining turrets from the mines which throve in the old days.
As your leave Cabañaquinta behind, the landscape gradually turns into green valleys. The Aller River runs by the road most of the time, making the driving a peaceful experience while you cross villages like Levinco, Entrepeñas, Collanzo, El Pino and Felechosa. From Collanzo, the road follows the San Isidro River. You will soon arrive in Cuevas, with two places of interest: one of them is the ensemble of natural springs “Fuentes de Invierno” that provide fresh water for the factory “Agua de Cuevas” and gives name to the ski resort; the other one is “El Mesón de Cuevas”, where you can taste traditional home-style cooking, for example eggs and picadillo, chorizo or grilled meats.
After passing Cuevas, the road starts going uphill, and soon you’ll be surrounded by mountains. The San Isidro river turns now into a narrow creek receiving waters from small waterfalls along the mountains. Within 10 kms you will arrive at the ski resort Fuentes de Invierno. The landscape here deserves a stop to enjoy the amazing views. If the ski resort is open, you can even purchase a round trip ticket to gaze at the mountains from the top.
Back on the main road, you will find straightaway the nearby San Isidro ski resort in León. Driving on this road LE-331 you will arrive in the autonomous community of León via Boñar. The trip is still comfortable while you drive past Isoba and Puebla de Lillo, nice high-mountain commons.wikimedia.org villages. However, the road winds downhill afterwards. For some kilometres it surrounds el Pantano del Porma, the largest dam in León. There is a viewpoint (Mirador del Embalse del Porma) where you can have a rest and take some pictures. An interesting place to visit around is El Museo de la Fauna Salvaje in Valdehuesa, which is situated down a secondary road, 20 km away from the wall of the dam. The museum holds a wide collection of stuffed animals from all the continents, as well as several collections of insects. Next to the Museum, the Restaurant La Forqueta offers typical highland food as venison and beautiful views over the dam.
Boñar, the main town in the Porma valley, offers nice welcoming details to the visitors: el Negrillón, a centennial tree in the town square, the bell tower with a small figure dressed in a typical costume ringing the bells, a nice promenade along the Porma River and, last but not least, the Nicanores, which are delicious cakes made of puff pastry that you will love.
Once you have visited Boñar, you must decide your next destination. commons.wikimedia.org If you want to come back home, you can drive to La Magdalena (45 km) taking the road CL-626 and join there the highway A-66 northwards back into Asturias. But if you have some more time, you may continue to León (45 km) on the road CL-624 and visit this wonderful city on the next day.
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