The Camino Primitivo or "Primitive Way" owes its name to it being the first recorded pilgrimage route to Santiago.
One of the first of the faithful to follow this route was King Alfonso II the Chaste, who, when ruling the Astur Kingdom, covered the route from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela in the first thirty years of the 9th century, in order to visit the Apostle's tomb, discovered a few years earlier. This monarch's contribution was key to consolidating the pilgrimage to Compostela by confirming that the remains belonged to James, son of Zebedee. By order of the king, a small church was built on the site of the discovery. The news spread among the community of believers, and thus pilgrimages and the organisation of worship of the Apostle in the incipient city began.
Its name comes from the contraction of the Galician words “longa” and “arela”, which could be translated as meaning “deep desire”. It is an old farmhouse, rich and important in its time, referred to in documents dating back to the 17th century. The current architectural configuration, comprising four buildings renovated in a traditional style, dates from the end of the 19th century and is located in an estate of 70.000 m2 of meadowland, populated with local tree species such as oak, chestnut, holly, birch or ash.
The construction of the Casa de los Sangro (The Sangro Family House) began in 1730. Commissioned to the architect from Compostela, Lucas Ferro Caaveiro, it underwent some modifications in 1769, such as the incorporation of the Quiroga family coat of arms, which presides its facade. The building, located in the heart of Lugo's Old Town was renovated and opened as a hotel in March 2008. Of notable interest inside is its staircase (stone on the first floor and timber on the next two floors), the decor of each of its spacious bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as the abundance of unique details such as paintings, lamps, radiators, wood carvings, etc. which decorate the public areas; all of which keeps in harmony with the splendour of an 18th century mansion house.
This former farmhouse located in the A Ulloa district was built between 1840 and 1841, and renovated in 1993 for use in rural tourism since 1995. It is composed of two floors, each with an area of 130 m2. The ground floor houses the communal spaces (kitchen, dining room, lounge and wine cellar), while upstairs there are five bedrooms and the bathrooms. It is set in an estate of 3,000 m2 where other buildings such as the hay loft, the oven or the raised granary (hórreo) have also been preserved. The land borders with the River Ferreira and the Roman bridge over which the Camino Primitivo runs.
CASA MILIA I occupies a former farmhouse which has been recently renovated in stone and timber. The first masonry construction dates from 1940, undergoing refurbishment in 1993, and is conserved today in perfect condition. It has a usable area of 130 m² divided into four bedrooms each with its own bathroom, together with a social lounge and a spacious garden surrounding the house.
The house was acquired in the mid 17th century by a Galician emigrant to Cuba. Known as the “Casa da Pena”, it was first used as a summer home, later to become a permanent residence at the end of the 18th century. The building, typically Galician, with a rectangular ground and different levels, held up by robust walls and chestnut beams, was renovated in 2001, conserving its original morphology and elements. It is surrounded by an estate populated by local tree species, some of which are several hundred years old, and it is enclosed by walls and fences typical of the period.
