Campoo - Los Valles - Tierra Campurriana - Cantabria en 4K

In the vast Campoo-Los Valles region of southern Cantabria lies the headwaters of the Ebro River. This region encompasses, on one side, the municipalities of Campoo de Suso, Campoo de Enmedio, Campoo de Yuso, Las Rozas de Valdearroyo, Valdeolea, Valdeprado del Río, Valderredible, and Reinosa, the regional capital. On the other side, in the Besaya River basin, lies the former Hermandad de Cincovillas, with Santiurde de Reinosa, San Miguel de Aguayo, Bárcena de Pie de Concha, and Pesquera. Finally, there are the valleys of Iguña, Anievas, and Cieza, also in the Besaya basin. Our journey begins seven kilometers from Reinosa, in the Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, in Argüeso. A two-kilometer forest track leads us to the Iron Age Cantabrian settlement, protected by stone and wood walls in a remote and privileged location. It is an incredibly detailed recreation, based on various archaeological excavations and the life of the ancient inhabitants of Regio Cantabrorum, as described by Vitruvius. In Augüeso, we find the Castle of San Vicente, a defensive fortress owned by the House of Vega-Mendoza until the 19th century. Declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1983, only parts of the towers and some of the walls remained standing. After its painstaking reconstruction over 11 years by the Sobaler family and their team of local artisans, using replicas of period tools and great skill, and employing stone and fine woods such as chestnut and native oak, it was opened to the public in 1999. Now the castle is a grand stately residence, with spacious halls nestled between turreted bastions. Near the Alto Campoo ski resort lies Fontibre, traditionally considered the source of the Ebro River. However, it is now known that its true origin is the headwaters of the Híjar River, at the Tres Mares peak. After a 20-kilometer journey, fed by various streams, much of the river's flow seeps into the subsoil of Paracuelles, resurfacing 800 meters further downstream at the "La Fuentona" spring in Fontibre, like a tranquil, bubbling lake. At the source stands a monolith of Our Lady of the Pillar, sculpted by Jesús Otero, adorned with the coats of arms of the seven autonomous communities through which the river flows, and a small shrine containing an image of Our Lady of the Pillar surrounded by numerous votive offerings. On the banks of the Ebro, Reinosa serves as the gateway to Castile in Cantabria, a route through which merchants and travelers from the central plateau have passed for centuries. The construction of the Royal Road and the boost to trade led to significant urban development in Reinosa. One example is the Casona, or "House of the Golden Girl," a Neoclassical building constructed in 1778 and declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1982. It now houses the municipal library, the tourist office, exhibition halls, and other facilities for leisure, cultural, and recreational activities. The Church of San Sebastián, declared a Site of Cultural Interest and an Artistic Monument in 1982, dates from the 16th century and includes some Romanesque features. The Town Hall is located in the Plaza de España, next to the towers of the Navamuel and Manrique families, and the Navamuel and Calderón families. In the municipality of Campoo de Enmedio lies Cervatos, with its two neighborhoods, Sopeña and San Pedro. The Collegiate Church of Cervatos, in the upper part of the San Pedro neighborhood, has been a National Monument since 1931 and is one of the most visited monuments in Cantabria. Its collection of corbels is based on scenes of an erotic and sinful nature, earning the building the nickname "the cathedral of Spanish erotic Romanesque." Aldea de Ebro is one of the five villages that make up the Riconchos community, a remote, mountainous area on the left bank of the Ebro River. In this small village, seemingly untouched by time, every stone is part of its history, and silence fills its streets. Its historic center has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest since 2002, due to its rich heritage and the aesthetic quality of its traditional architecture. In the Iguña Valley, the Roman road of Bárcena de Pie de Concha is one of the finest examples of Roman civilization. It was built during the Cantabrian Wars, and the Somaconcha-Bárcena de Pie de Concha section is the best preserved. Three kilometers away lies Pujayo, a bastion of mountain traditions with a network of streets leading to a two-tiered, south-facing plaza adorned with large, flower-filled balconies. Its beauty lies in its stone and wood houses, its balconies, and the accessibility of its streets within a beautiful natural setting, earning it the Cantabria Village of the Year award in 2020. We conclude our journey in Barriopalacio in the Anievas Valley. This village, surrounded by nature and crossed by the Ermita or Casares River and the Canal Stream, maintains its structure, morphology, and character, respecting the environment and preserving its essence, making it a w...