Panoramic view of Amaiur, one of the beauties of the Baztán Valley
#NobleValleYUniversidadDeBaztán
Take it now! Name piece! The military support that the nobility from all over the valley gave to the Kingdom of Navarre During the great battles of the Reconquest made him earn this bombastic name that serves to explain that everything is one. That is, that the small population centers (called 'places') and farmhouses that irrigate the foothills of the mountains are managed by a single council. Their administrative organization not only presents this complexity since they also have the Valley General Meeting whose main function is to manage communal lands, which represent 80% of the total. By the way, in the eyes of the visitor, it can be understood that it is noble and that it is a valley, but… And the university? well in Pamplona . Now, almost spent 140 characters Just by naming it correctly...
#OngiEtorri
Navarra demonstrates its heterogeneity with things like this. The Basque is the language par excellence of the entire valley, a clear demonstration of the monopolistic presence of the Basque rural culture . Another example is the classic typography , with its pre-modern style symbolized with the mythical letter a with txapela, which governs the posters of all establishments. Of course, let no one get confused or try to generalize, neither one thing nor the other, here they are Baztanese. Indeed, Ongi Etorri means "welcome", a gesture that the valley offers its visitors with its views from the viewpoint of Baztan.
Stately homes of Arizkun
#Checkered Shield
There are several common elements in traditional Baztan architecture. For example, the chromatic joy of their large houses , where reddish stone predominates , white facades and wooden balconies and windows painted with bright colors . But perhaps the one that draws the most attention is the predominance of heraldry in them, with the presence of the official checkered shield in all of them. The fact that all the natives of the valley were recognized as gentlemen allows them to create their own symbols and beautify their houses with them. And that turns each place into a museum that exhibits the human ability to design shields.
#Conquerors
The rural economy was not the only sustenance and the reason for the amount of mansions per square meter that the entire valley has. Many of its noble inhabitants they left to make the americas and they returned with a full bag ready to spend their bitches improving their lives in the valley. The best known was Pedro de Ursua who crossed the Atlantic to find The Golden (Why, if he had it in his house?). Today, his dilapidated palace watches over the entire town of Arizkun and its surroundings without the thunder of yesteryear. The greatest glory of this name is in a farmhouse that was his property and that today has become the Señorío de Ursúa hotel. The most consistent option with the lifestyle of the valley to spend the night and feel a little landowning and powerful . Another example of money from America well used and now enjoyable is the Jauregia Palace. Until years ago, it was a beautiful example of another type of colonization, since it housed a very complete collection of contemporary Latin American art, now exhibited at the ARTIUM in Victory.
The Santxotena Park-Museum
#exhausted
It used to say a very common saying in the area until not long ago: "When exhausted, stick in the neck" . But who were the agotes? As a spoiler, let's say she was a marginalized social group exiled from the area of Aquitaine welcomed by the Lord of Ursúa. They were considered inferior, so they lived in separate neighborhoods and they entered the church through a special (and smaller) door. But to better understand its history, we must go to the teachings of Xavier Santxotena , a descendant of agote and an artist who has dedicated a lifetime to making known the culture and crafts of his ancestors. For this, he organizes guided visits to the Bezote neighborhood (urban area raised by the agotes) and exhibits part of his work in his park-museum in Arizkun, a mixture of the expertise etched in their genes and a contemporary and organic vision of materials.
#AnimalesConPelazo
It may sound very urban, but it is surprising the amount of fur that all the animals in the valley have, from horses to sheep. No more.
#NotOnlyQuesoIdiazábal
The Baztangoa cheese cooperative has been one of the last to join the DO. Idiazabal , despite being more than 100 kilometers from the town of the same name . The key is that the product was very similar: made with the sheep's milk latxa , cured in height and without smoking (like the vast majority of the cheeses of this D.O., despite the fact that the opposite is believed) . The label makes your price skyrocket , but to circumvent the sangria there are other cheeses without the Idiazábal distinctive with an intense and wild flavor, like the character of these so strange sheep.
Commemorative landmark that remembers where the castle of Amaiur stood
#AmaiurIdyllic
positions to choose, love It is the most beautiful place and the only one that became independent as a town from the rest of the valley. Today it houses an identity symbol such as the ruins of his castle , the last bastion to fall into the hands of Castile in the sixteenth century. But apart from this connotation, we are before a really beautiful town , with just one very well-preserved street to put in order between unified and pristine houses, cut in the same style. The bow that presides over its entrance advances that it is not just another urban nucleus. In addition to climbing to the top of its ruined fortress, it is worth making a stop at its church and in his mill, an ethnographic interpretation center that, moreover, is quite cute.
#ElizondoGoodLife
Elizondo acts as the capital of the valley and proves it by being an icon of good life and good taste . You eat well, especially in Santxotena, in Eskisaroi and in El Trinquete, and you walk better. The arcades of the Jaime Urrutia Street gracefully withstand the rain on cloudy days while the riverside baztan river it draws the best pictures of the municipality and offers some stops such as the Jorge Oteiza ethnographic museum. The sculptures of Gipuzkoan artists and Xavier Santxotena scattered throughout the city, the minimalist urbanism of the Fueros Square and the baroque aspect of its church of Santiago they are the surprises that are out of the ordinary, of the charmingly rural of this valley. Now it's time to forget about Twitter and of their tyrannical mentions Y hashtags to enjoy it live and direct.
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The hairy sheep of the Baztán valley