Villaviciosa
Camino del Norte
Camino Primitivo
Villaviciosa has been called 'the fertile place' since the 14th century, and the name is earned. The valley's rich soil supports cattle, dairy, and — most importantly for your evening — apple orchards that produce the sidra for which Asturias is famous.
If you spot a sidrería, stop. Asturian cider is poured in a ritual that looks absurd until you taste the result: the bottle is held high overhead, the glass low at the hip (often behind the back), and a thin stream of cider falls the full distance to aerate before hitting the glass. You drink the small pour — called a culín — immediately. Don't let it sit. The bartender will pour rounds for the whole bar in rapid succession, and the empty dregs get tossed on the floor. Don't be alarmed — that's what the sawdust is for.
The late-Romanesque Iglesia de Santa María de la Oliva, near the center, is worth more than a passing glance. The west portal's carved figures are among the best transitional Romanesque-Gothic work in Asturias. The Ayuntamiento and a monument to Carlos I (who landed here in 1517 on his first visit to Spain) round out the historical interest.
All services available. Restaurants and sidrerías on the main streets.
Santumedero de Sietes is celebrated on the 3rd of March. San Juan on the 24th of June, and Santiago on the 25th of July.
Carlos I of Spain (later Emperor Charles V) first set foot on Spanish soil at the nearby port of Tazones in September 1517. He was seventeen, spoke no Spanish, and arrived with a Flemish court that immediately irritated the local nobility. His landing here — instead of at a major port — was an accident of weather, but Villaviciosa has commemorated it ever since.
Pay close attention to the arrows through town. The camino follows a route which takes you past most of the more notable monuments, including the Ayuntamiento building, the monument to Carlos I, and the Iglesia de Santa María de la Oliva. At the church it turns left to follow the AS-255 out of town and to La Ferrería.
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