torazo

The beautiful village of torazo is in the council of Cabranes, which is located in the central eastern area of ​​the Principality of Asturias. Belongs to the Cider Region, made up of several municipalities linked to the production of the regional drink par excellence.

About fifty kilometers from Oviedo and with less than three hundred residents, this beautiful town offers you unique architecture for several reasons, a privileged natural environment that you can explore hiking, several monuments of interest and even some curious museums. We are going to talk to you about all of this below so that you are encouraged to visit Torazo. Not in vain, it belongs to the association The most beautiful villages in Spain and was chosen Exemplary Town of Asturias in 2008.

The traditional architecture of Torazo

Walking through the streets of this town, you will be able to see its peculiar architecture that stands out for several reasons. First of all, for the Indian houses. As you know, this name was given to the natives of a place who emigrated to America and, years later, they returned to their town enriched. Likewise, in doing so, they built spectacular homes that attracted attention. Normally, they combined colonial features with others of the modernism prevailing in our country.

Such was the importance of emigration in this Asturian council that a Cabranense Club of Havana who sent money to finance the construction of schools and other civic buildings. But the most humble homes in the town are also beautiful. Many of them stand out for their wooden facades and their galleries, that is, its corridors and glass balconies that function as viewpoints.

Another peculiar element of the architecture of Torazo are the horreos that you will see distributed throughout its streets. As you may also know, this is the name given to the typical granaries of the area where the agricultural harvest (in this case, especially corn) and farming implements were stored. As is the case with Indian houses, they are not exclusive to Asturias. They are also very common in Galicia, Cantabria and other Spanish regions.

However, the Asturians, also called bread bins, They are different. They have a square plan, a hipped roof and are supported only by four pillars that raise them from the ground (the largest on six). Likewise, these are stronger and more voluminous than, for example, in Galicians. Finally, while the Galician granaries are usually built in stone, those in Asturias use wood. Some of these bread boxes are large in size and have exterior corridors. But, in addition, there are several sub-styles within the autonomous community. Those of Torazo respond to that of the Villaviciosa area, which is the oldest and most genuine.

The church of San Martín el Real and other temples in the area

Built in the highest part of the town at the end of the XNUMXth century, the temple of San Martín el Real It is the most prominent religious construction in the entire council of Cabranes. It responds to the Mannerist style and presents a beautiful exterior decoration. Above the main entrance is the bell tower with a clock. Inside it is distributed in a single nave with a cross vault, a wide transept and a partially hexagonal apse. Additionally, save an image of the Virgen del Carmen, patron of the town.

For its part, the oldest is the church of San Julián de Viñón, since it was built in the XNUMXth century. It has Romanesque characteristics, but still preserves elements of a previous building from the IX. In turn, these respond to the characteristic Asturian pre-Romanesque art what you can see in temples as famous as San Miguel de Lillo in Oviedo or Santa Cristina de Lena. The Cabranes temple has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

La Chapel of Our Lady of Sienra It was built in the XNUMXth century and has austere forms. However, it is in a centenary carbayera, a name given in the area to oak forests. Between the church of San Martín and this temple it takes place every year a procession which dates back to 1776 and includes a very colorful parade of traditional bouquets.

Finally, the church of San Bartolomé in the town of Pandenes completes the heritage of religious architecture in the area; the parish church of Santa Eulalia, with its beautiful altarpiece; that of Santa María la Real in Fresnúe; the chapel of San Antonio and the sanctuary of the Virgen del Carmen in Arboleya. But either the attractions of Torazo and its surroundings end here.

Rural School Museum and other exhibitions

Very curious is the museum dedicated to the rural school that you can visit in Vignon. It is located in an old school built in 1907 by Javier Aguirre, provincial architect. and save an important collection of furniture and school supplies ranging from the beginning to the end of the XNUMXth century. Seeing it will allow you to transport yourself to another era and, above all, discover what the hard life of rural teachers and their students was like at that time.

Belongs to the Network of Ethnographic Museums of Asturias and open every day. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays it is from 11 a.m. to 14 p.m., while on Fridays and Saturdays it can also be visited from 11 a.m. to 14 p.m., but also from 17 p.m. to 19 p.m. Likewise, on Wednesdays admission is free.

On the other hand, in the town of Piñera you have a nice Museum of Popular Ceramics. Located in a traditional house in the area, it has a large collection of this type to which furniture, farming utensils and other objects from the world of the countryside have been added.

Hiking routes around Torazo

Another of the great attractions of Torazo is its beautiful natural environment. The call passes through the town variant of the Camino Real de Francia, which was an old route from Oviedo to Santander. From the town go down to La Encrucijada to continue through Piñera and cross other areas of the council until you reach Of the forehead and join with San Román, already in the council of Sariego.

Moreover, the Peñacabrera route It leaves from Santa Eulalia (Santolaya in Asturian) and reaches Viñón passing through the recreational area that gives it its name. It is seven kilometers long and not very difficult. It is somewhat longer the one that leads to the Corona de CastruWell, it's twelve kilometers, although it's also easy. From this mountain, where there was a Celtic settlement, you have extraordinary views. There are also information panels about the fort.

In short, it is equally beautiful Viacava river river route, which is barely three kilometers long and ends in Santa Eulalia, capital of the council. And also him Camín del Corberu, which runs through forests of oak, hazel and chestnut trees.

How to get

The only way to travel to Torazo is by highway. Now, you can do it in your own car or at a public service. Of course, you have taxis, But also Bus who make the route from Villaviciosa, although the line comes from Gijón. However, there are not many routes so we advise you to go in your own vehicle.

If you do it from Oviedo, you have to take the highway A-64, which connects the capital of the Principality with Villaviciosa. Once you get there, you must take the road As-255 for, at the height of Candons, deviate through the AS-334 to Torazo. On the other hand, if you arrive from Santander, you have to circulate through the Cantabrian Highway or A-8. You can do it to Villaviciosa and then continue along the route that we have explained to you because, although there are others, this is the shortest and most recommended.

What to eat and where to sleep

If we talk about Asturias, you cannot leave Torazo without trying its tasty and filling cuisine. Of course, there is no shortage of Asturian bean stew and cachopo, already famous throughout the world. But there are other more typical recipes from the small town of Cabañaniego. One of them is a dessert. Its about rice pudding, which is not the town's heritage, but where delicious food is made. So much so that, every year, Cabranes celebrates A festival dedicated to this wonder. It takes place in its capital, Santa Eulalia, during its patron saint festivities in honor of San Francisco.

The other traditional preparation is called forna boroña which also has its own international festival during the month of June. In this case, it is a less known recipe outside the region. It consists of a special bread that is also filled with chorizo, ham and bacon before baking.

On the other hand, the council of Cabranes in general and Torazo in particular have a good hotel offer, if we consider that it is a small place. You can choose between hotels and pensions, but it also has rural houses full of charm and even rental apartments.

In conclusion, we have shown you what you can see and do in the beautiful town of torazo. All that remains is for us to tell you that you also take the opportunity to visit other nearby places with as much history and tradition as Cangas de Onis, which is about forty kilometers away, and the nearby Royal Site of Covandonga, without forgetting the even closer town of Villaviciosa, which we have already mentioned. Come and discover this beautiful part of Asturias.