The Fonte Baxa Forest-Garden, a trip around the world in Luarca
East yard , located in the charming Asturian town of Luarca and reopened to the public on July 1, brings together more than 500 plant species, including various species of trees and an important collection of hydrangeas, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias . With its twenty hectares, it is considered one of the private botanical gardens largest in Europe
A green and exotic eden , with hundreds of different trees brought from all corners of the world, some very difficult to see in these latitudes, is the promise of Fonte Baxa forest-garden , which, in the process of recovery after a decade of abandonment, offers, in addition to an oasis in which to take refuge from the summer heat, impressive viewpoints open to the Bay of Biscay.
The entrance to the garden is from the second beach of Luarca , through a wooden staircase that still smells of new – an additional entrance for people with reduced mobility is also available – and that leads to the main entrance of the garden.
17th century Portuguese fountain
Spanish businessman and aristocrat Jose Rivera de Larraya , one of the founders of Panrico, and his wife Rosa Maria Pardo, owners of these unique gardens , they were buying plots over the years -58 in particular-, until bringing together the current twenty hectares that make up the farm as a whole. Thus, what was once a green valley where cattle grazed became in the 1990s, thanks to the design of Rafael Ovalle and Laura Rodríguez , in a garden that allows you to travel around the world.
The various species of trees invite us to dream of other destinations and bring us closer to distant landscapes, so appreciated in a year like this in which travel is in question. From the North American redwoods to Lebanon cedars , going by japanese maples , and the canary dragon trees –quite a feat, since the latter need a warm climate- or Asturian chestnut trees with such revealing trunks that allow us to guess their long life –in some cases, more than 650 years -, as well as the ginkgo biloba , one of the oldest tree species in the world that can exceed the millennium of life. The culmination of the visit is in the upper part of the property, from where the views of Luarca , with the roar of the Bay of Biscay always present, are simply spectacular.
Corinthian column in the Fonte Baxa Forest-Garden
In addition, along the promenade there are architectural and sculptural gems where it is worth stopping, such as the bell tower of a baroque church from the 17th century, from the nearby Navia council , or four 2nd century Roman columns brought from Dacia -current Romania-, which frame the spectacular views of the highest viewpoint of the estate. Likewise, it is interesting to contemplate the red marble fountain that once belonged to the Duchess of Medina Sidonia.
The Municipality of Valdes , which manages it, recently negotiated the rental of the gardens for its tourist exploitation. Many point out that the splendor of the garden took place in the early nineties of the 20th century, after which began its decline and subsequent abandonment . Although the informal visits were made possible by the farm guard, this is the first time that the gardens are officially open to the public.
Currently, although they have conditioned the facilities in record time – barely three months-, the visitor will be able to guess that there is still a lot of room for improvement, since at the moment they can only be visited around 40% of the total , although it is expected that for the spring of 2021 the visit can already be done in full.
Fonte Baxa Forest-Garden
It is possible to book guided tours through two external guides . One of them is Jose Manuel (telephone 678 865 276), who makes visits at 11 in the morning and who has been a caretaker of the farm for several decades. The only drawback of these visits is that the groups can become very large, and in these cases keeping the social distance becomes complicated.
The magic of visiting a recovering place that feels unfinished , in which it is clearly seen that there is potential for improvement and whose glorious past is felt at every step, is that it allows free rein to the imagination, leaving the curiosity to check how it has changed for future visits, while the entry - 3 euros -, contributes to financing that recovery.
quercifolia hydrangea