Route through Laguardia (Logroño), land of wines in Spain
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Visitors show a great interest in the natural and cultural attractions of this wine-producing region
Detail of the portal of Santa María de los Reyes in Laguardia
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We have just finished a long weekend that was expected to be very busy in any of the chosen destinations. Traveling to Logroño and Laguardia has been a great success. After some time without visiting this area, I am struck by the number of visitors during this time of the year. This shows the great interest people have in the natural and cultural attractions of the land of wineries.
Apart from finding the streets crowded with pedestrians, the place where we have stayed is a space to relax the mind and body, offering the latter a pleasant sensation by bringing together authenticity and quality through the most acclaimed wines in the area and a gastronomy based on local products.
Skewers at a bar in Laguardia
It could be said that we have experienced the change of season here, entering full winter. The temperatures have noticeably dropped, and the gusts of wind have made it not very pleasant to walk the streets at certain times of the day. There have been moments when it seemed like snow was going to pay us a visit, although it all ended up being sleet.
On the second day of our stay in Laguardia, my husband and I went to Logroño to meet up with some friends. We met up with two couples and enjoyed some tapas along the famous Laurel street, a place full of bars where you can find a wide variety of pinchos in each establishment. We continued with the gastronomic experience by having lunch with some other friends at the hotel where they were going to stay.
Main square of Laguardia
Whenever La Rioja is mentioned, the association that is usually made is of good food and good wine. We had the opportunity to confirm this by tasting, a day later, a dinner at one of the famous wineries, Solar de Samaniego, in Laguardia, in the Alava region of La Rioja.
Interior of the Solar de Samaniego winery in Laguardia
The visit was enjoyable and educational, with a detailed explanation of its evolution and history. It was enlivened with different wines to appreciate their qualities. We highly appreciate the good and generous tasting, as well as the fusion that has brought together two arts within a single project: wine and literature, known as “Drinking between the lines.”
Focusing on this town where the wineries are located, I can't help but express great satisfaction at having explored in detail this wonderful medieval village with three narrow and elongated main streets, connected by alleys or squares that traverse it, surrounded by a monumental wall.
Decorations on a balcony in the main square of Laguardia.
Of all its architecture, I want to highlight two churches, which are located at the ends of the town: San Juan Bautista and Santa María de los Reyes. The latter is the most emblematic building in Laguardia. Inside, there is a late 14th-century stone portico that preserves the 17th-century polychrome decoration intact. It cannot be overlooked that the great fabulist, a son of the Age of Enlightenment, Félix María de Samaniego, is one of its prominent figures, and visitors can see, and perhaps visit, the palace-house where he was born.
Of all its architecture, the churches of San Juan Bautista and Santa María de los Reyes stand out
House of Samaniego, fable writer from the 18th century
I end this chronicle for The Readers' Photos of bet365 by stating that the historical heritage of this town, the care of its streets, and its surroundings have led it to be considered one of the most beautiful in Spain.
And as it is a wine-growing region and a town with an impressive medieval layout, I will add that the literary men of that time were already talking about wine. Some poets, such as Gonzalo de Berceo or the Archpriest of Hita, made reference to its virtues, as well as to the dangers of overindulging in it.
Laguardia's Carillon Clock in the main square