Turismo de Galicia

The land of Lemos stretches across a fertile plain, traversed by the Cabe River and dominated by the mountain of San Vicente, the heart of Monforte de Lemos. The name "Lemos" derives from the Lemavos, a pre-Roman people of probable Celtic origin, evidenced by numerous archaeological remains in the area. Like the Romans and the Suebi in later centuries, the Lemavos chose to settle in this location for its strategic advantages. Geographers of the time referred to this settlement as Castro Dactonium. At other times, the name Monte Forti was used, which is the direct predecessor of the current name, Monforte.

In the 8th century, the already Christianised Castro Dactonium was destroyed by the Arabs. Later, the monastery of San Vicente do Pino was built on its ruins, and from there, the medieval town of Monforte de Lemos grew as a major agricultural and livestock market. The monastery, now converted into a tourist resort, along with the Torre da Homenaxe (Tribute Tower) and the Pazo dos Condes de Lemos (Palace of the Counts of Lemos), forms the monumental complex of San Vicente do Pino, the perfect starting point for our visit to the town.

From the Pazo dos Condes de Lemos (Palace of the Counts of Lemos), the lords of these lands, some buildings that are now part of the Parador de Turismo are preserved. During its golden age, its rooms were used both to exercise power formidably and to host lavish parties. Flemish tapestries and works by Titian, Raphael, and El Greco hung on its walls. Its archives held important documents from one of the most significant lineages of those times. All of this was reduced to ashes after a fire in 1672, and it was subsequently rebuilt.

The medieval heritage of Monforte de Lemos is enhanced by its walls and towers, characterised by its irregular layout due to its construction in various stages. The enclosure has three exits: the door of Cadea Vella, Alcazaba, and Nova, where the emblem of the Counts can be seen engraved in marble.

A few meters from the wall, you will find some of the most representative streets of the old town, such as Cadea Vella Street, Fornos Street, and Burato Street. Strolling through them, you can admire the numerous emblazoned houses in Monforte, such as the Ribadeneira House and the Quiroga House. In these streets and squares, a significant Jewish community settled in the late Middle Ages (alongside Ribadavia, the most important in Galicia) which contributed to boosting the town's commercial life. In fact, Monforte de Lemos is part of the Sefarad Jewish Network.

We continue our journey by crossing the Cabe river via the ponte Vella (Old Bridge). This structure has Roman origins, although its current configuration dates back to the 16th century. It consists of six semicircular arches and features some medieval details. Next, we visit the Convent of the Barefoot Franciscans, also known as the Clarisas (Poor Clares). The interest here lies not so much in the architecture of the building, but in its museum of sacred art which houses the main collection of 17th-century Italian art in Galicia, as well as pieces from the Castilian School, including a sculpture by Gregorio Fernández. If we follow the course of the Cabe River, we arrive at the Colexio de Nosa Señora da Antiga (College of Our Lady of Antiga), an imposing building known as the “Llittle Escorial of Galicia”. The main altarpiece, created by the Galician Francisco Moure and completed by his son after his death, stands out. The museum within this late 16th-century Herrerian Renaissance-style building houses several works by El Greco and Andrea del Sarto.

The historical and artistic heritage of Monforte de Lemos is completed with the igrexa da Régoa (Church of Régoa), formerly known as the convent of San Xacinto, located in the old town. Highlights include the main altar and its organ, one of the best-preserved in Galicia despite being 300 years old, as well as its coffered ceiling. Other notable monuments include the Hermitage of San Lázaro, the Bridge of Picos, the Parque dos Condes and the Pazo de Tor. To visit the latter, we must travel 8 km along the road to Escairón. The palace dates back to the 18th century and is excellently preserved. Its interior boasts a library with over 8,000 volumes, weapons, damask curtains, jewellery, and antique furniture.

Interestingly, this town is home to one of the narrowest houses in the country, measuring 1.50 meters wide by 20 meters deep, consisting of four floors and a ground floor.

From the village of Belesar we can take a catamarán trip around the Os Peares Reservoir and down the River Miño. The round trip takes about two hours. Keep in mind that, while in spring and summer the catamaran makes regular trips, in the autumn and winter their activity is limited to pre-arranged excursions: for more information on catamarans in INLUDES, Tel: 982 260 196 www.lugoterra.com/rutas_fluviais

From Belesar, we return to the CRG-22 road and head towards Monforte de Lemos. A short distance away we take the first turnoff to the left, which, after going under the CRG-22 and following the directions given, will take us to the small village of Buxán. Leaving Buxán behind, to the left we will see the San Paio de Diomondi church, which dates back to the 12th century. We continue our route and go past the villages of Lamaquebrada and Ferreira. We reach Eiré and stop off to see the San Miguel de Eiré church, one of the most peculiar Galician Romanesque buildings of the 12th century. To visit the inside, we have to contact the tourist office in O Castro de Ferreira (Pantón), Tel: 982 456 377/005. Calling this same number, one can arrange to visit to the Romanesque churches of San Fiz de Cangas and Santo Estevo de Atán.

After travelling 4.3 km we reach O Castro de Ferreira, capital of the municipality of Pantón, where there are some very interesting buildings to be seen. Its civil architecture monuments include the building at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (Town Hall Square) and the Maside Pazo (manor house), although the latter is a private home and cannot be visited.

As regards religious architecture, a visit to the Bernardine Nuns Monastery is a must. Located on the outskirts of the village, its most singular feature is that is the only one in Galicia to have been occupied continuously and solely by women, since its foundation. The church and the cloister can be visited daily from 10 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm to 6 pm. At the caretaker's office we can purchase home-produced macaroons made by the nuns themselves.

From O Castro de Ferreira we take the N-120 road towards Ourense. Once on the road, we take a turnoff to the left which will take us to San Fiz de Cangas. After the visit we backtrack to take the N-120 towards Ourense.

But stop off a few kilometres on to visit the San Estevo de Atán church. Back again on the N-120, we travel towards Os Peares. From this last point we will follow the signs that take us to San Vicente de Pombeiro, travelling a stretch on a narrow road where we should drive cautiously. It is worth taking time to visit the San Vicente de Pombeiro church, located in a beautiful spot over the River Sil. Despite the fact that it is normally closed, looking through the large window cut into one of the side doors for this purpose, we will be able to get quite a good view of the inside.

Once we have visited the Romanesque religious architecture on the banks of the Rivers Miño and Sil, we journey on to the town of Os Peares, where the second day of our itinerary ends.
 

We leave the floodgates of the San Pedro Dam on the left 2.2 km from Os Peares. A sign warns that the road is private property. A few kilometres further on we come to the Santo Estevo Reservoir, which we will also skirt. After 12.7 km from Os Peares, we will find a detour to the left. The sign reads: "Embarcadoiro de Santo Estevo 1 km". This is the boarding point for a catamaran that runs between San Estevo and Abeleda, located a few kilometres upriver, and back. Another route goes from Santo Estevo to San Fiz and back. When the reservoir was built, 80% of San Fiz was flooded. In the summer months, when the water level drops to its lowest, the remains of the old settlement can be seen.

There is another, longer route that takes us 24 km downriver from Abeleda. It turns back very close to the floodgates, at a place known as Os Chancís, where there is a pier carved out of rock. This trip takes three hours and can be enjoyed all year round. The catamaran sails at 11:30 am and at 4 pm. It should be taken into account that with regard to all these trips, some of them only leave if there is a minimum of fifteen passengers. The trips can be booked beforehand. More information: Travel Pardo (Ourense) Tel: 988 210 460 and Hemisferios Viajes (Lugo) Tel.: 982 254 545.

Our catamarán journey will take us through some sites with great charm. The tranquil waters and the rocky canyon formations merge together to create impressive views. Up in the heights we will be able to see the Santa Cristina Monastery and we will pass close to the site known as Os Balcóns de Madrid (Balconies of Madrid). On the river banks there are small piers used by the area's wine-growers to transport the grapes after the harvest. In some cases, the exit towards the reservoir is the only one there is. We finalise our morning's journey enjoying these magnificent landscapes.

The afternoon route for the third day in the Ribeira Sacra begins at the Santo Estevo pier. From its turnoff we continue along the road that brought us from Os Peares, towards Loureiro and Luintra. After four km we come to a crossroads. If we turn to the left we will come to the Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil Monastery and the site known as Os Balcóns de Madrid. On the other hand, the fork to the right will take us to Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil Monastery.

We propose first of all to visit Santa Cristina, so we turn to the left. At the village of Caxide we find a curious bell tower made of cast iron. We reach Parada de Sil 13.8 km from the crossroads. The Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil Monastery is 4.5 km ahead; we take a detour to the left of this hamlet. After the visit we retrace the road and return to the road. A few metres ahead, on the left, we will see the sign that indicates how to get to Os Balcóns de Madrid. From this point we have magnificent views over the River Sil. We will enjoy the unique beauty of the landscape created by the walls of the Sil Canyon as it closes in the waters of the reservoir.

Following the road linking Parada de Sil with A Teixeira and O Castro de Caldelas, we find the canyon of the River Mao. The Mao meets the Sil River at Barxacova and here there begins a route of quite unique characteristics. A spectacular wooden bridge built at a considerable height above the rugged terrain along the riverbanks invites us to enjoy the scenery. The walk runs largely at the height of the treetops through a forest of oak, chestnut, arbutus and laurel trees. We recommend that you do not to miss this experience, as this route has a very different appeal to that of the other hiking trails in the Ribeira Sacra.

We turn back and go, once again through Parada de Sil, Caxide and Loureiro, towards Luintra. On the way we will go past the turnoff to the Santo Estevo pier (where the catamaran sails from). The Santo Estevo recreation area is located 2.4 km from this turnoff, on the right-hand side of the road. It has a tourist information office close by. Here we will take the road that branches off to the right, and 3.5 km further on we will reach the Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil Monastery, restored in recent years as one of the most attractive establishments in the network of state-run hotels.

We return to the main road and continue our journey towards Luintra, capital of the municipality of Nogueira de Ramuín, situated at a distance of 5 km. This municipality is popularly known as the place of origin of the "afiadores e paragüeiros" (knife sharpeners and umbrella repairers). We arrive to the hamlet's centre, where there is a roundabout. Here, we will turn to the left, towards Loña do Monte, a town situated 6 km away. A few kilometres after the village we will see three almost identical rocky formations which indicate that we are nearing the San Pedro de Rocas (St. Peter of the Rocks) Monastery, our last stop of the day. We enter a lush conifer forest and the signs lead us to the monastery after travelling 5 km.

Continuing our journey, about 6 km from Xunqueira, we reach the Alto do Rodicio (Rodicio Hill), at an altitude of 950 m. Continuing on a further 6 km down the road, we reach Vilariño Frío, where we can stop to visit the bridge. It is of Roman origin, though it has elements from much later periods. We must bear in mind that we will have to walk 400 m to reach the bridge. In winter it is quite common to find large amounts of water in the area.

Vilariño Frío is but 1 km from Leboreiro. In the latter village we will turn to the right to go towards Montederramo, which is 5 km away, where we will visit the Santa María Monastery, currently used as a school. Some zones are private, but most of them can be visited in a guided tour.

From Montederramo, we continue on the road that runs along the side of the monastery. After 2.7 km we take a turnoff to the left, following the signs to Marrubio and O Castro de Caldelas. The Marrubia stone cross and the Santo Antón Chapel are just 1 km away from the turnoff. After this break we go back along the same route and on to Castro de Caldelas, situated about 16 km away, where we will visit the castle, the Santa Isabel Church and the Shrine to the Virxe dos Remedios (Virgin of the Remedies).

We leave O Castro de Caldelas and take the road that goes to A Teixeira. This toponym means "yew forest", a tree considered sacred by the Celts. To the left, after 2 km, we will be able to see the ruins of the San Paio de Abeleda Monastery. We will also be able to see the terraces where the Amandi vines are grown, located on the opposite bank of the River Sil, in the Lugo side of the Ribeira Sacra region. Finally, to end our day and this route through la Ribeira Sacra, we make our way back to Monforte de Lemos (situated 25 km from O Castro de Caldelas) along the OU-601, a route that crosses the River Sil through a landscape of great beauty.