The Galician town of Allariz may sound familiar to you: a few years ago we discovered your wonderful initiative to create a sustainable decoration every Christmas. So, they told us that a large part of the materials they used were structures from other events, especially from the Allariz International Garden Festival , which has taken place annually since 2010.
The event, a pioneer in its theme throughout the peninsula (only one similar is held in Portugal, in Pontes de Lima), returns with force this year, spreading through more than 37,000 square meters of water, sounds, colors and vegetation . "There are three hectares in which art and nature are mixed, creating a space for the contemplation and imagination of the visitor," they explain from the City Council.
And they continue: "It is a green space that maintains a fixed structure throughout the year and renews each spring, through a contest, twelve gardens awarded to the creativity and innovation of landscapers from around the world . The Festival is a contest of gardening ideas and designs exhibited from May to October on the banks of the Arnoia River.
The Allariz International Garden Festival (FIXA) takes place on the banks of the Arnoia River.
GARDENS THAT HEAL
This year, the theme is Therapeutic Gardens, Healing Designs, so the ten creations, at the hands of Galician, Madrid, Austrian, Montenegrin, Italian, Colombian and American landscapers, They have focused "on the therapy of open spaces and the benefits that these bring to our health", according to the organizers.
Green spaces can be enjoyed (and voted) until next October 30 for the more than 40,000 annual visitors who receives the festival. Out of the competition are the winning garden of the last edition, Rosalía's path of emigration, and the one designed by the students of the Allariz schools, baptized as: The Cure Game. More park and less screens.
'Rosalia's path of emigration', last year's winning garden, can also be visited this season.
ALLARIZ, MUCH MORE THAN JARDENS
Although they are one of its main attractions, the thematic gardens are not the only charm of Allariz, one of the most beautiful and culturally important towns in Galicia thanks to the determined commitment of its rulers to keep it alive. “Those peoples that invest in quality of life in social well-being, in spaces that contribute to the encounter with oneself and to the relationship with the natural and human environment, they are towns that bet heavily on the future or and that they care about themselves”, explains its mayor, Cristina Cid.
The place, moreover, rests on a rich historical past: King Sancho IV considered it the key to the Kingdom of Galicia in the 11th century, and later it became the setting for the education and maturity of Alfonso X the Wise , where did his famous come from songs.
You just need to take a walk around the Old Town and admire its vast heritage (such as the tower-house of Santiago or the Convent of Santa Clara) to prove it: Allariz wastes legend . In addition, the town still has remains of the old wall and a surprising jewish quarter.
Allariz (Ourense)
Another of his interesting scenarios, which, by the way, has appeared in the movie Brothers in law, is he Portovello Restaurant. Its food is not only delicious: in addition, the establishment has a lot of personality, since it was a old leather factory that worked with water mills.
Allariz also has several museums, among which are that of Fashion and that of Toy, In addition to being a perfect destination to acquire quality local products such as milk, sheep cheeses, honey, soaps, donkey milk, craft beer, chestnuts, beef... They can all be found every Saturday at the Biosphere Reserve Product Market , one more of the attractions of this surprising Galician town.
*This article was published on July 18, 2021 and updated on May 28, 2022.