Casco Vello: the rebirth of Vigo enxebre
Vigo, industrial city par excellence, grew from the port and made its way, steep and obstinate, towards the hill of Parque de O Castro , once a mountain that, for those who lived in the original Vigo, in that Berbés of boats and nets , was far away and now crowns the city in its center. It is precisely that area, that slope facing the Ría de Vigo and where it was born, where we found our Casco Vello, a chaos of narrow streets that at the height of the Puerta del Sol ( ours has a siren, I say no more) is divided into two, high and low, as if it were necessary to distinguish it in its immensity.
I, if I'm honest, I love that chaos. And I'm not the only one: in recent years, many of the city's efforts have focused on making revive what one day was his little heart . The buildings are being restored, both in the form of homes and commercial premises, the gloomy atmosphere of when the ruins were the most has been dissipating and its streets they are an obligatory destination for the favorite leisure of the population of Vigo : go out for a drink white hair and, since we are, some caps.
Among the alleys of our old area they hide gastronomic jewels , unique buildings and that charm that only rediscovered stone can offer. It is worth looking for each small square, going up and down streets and stairs , get lost to enjoy everything this area has to offer.
Vigo's Puerta del Sol: with sirens and crazy
The Central Public Library of Casco Vello It is a more than worthy building to preside over one of the accesses to the area, by the Rua Fermin Penzol . If it's Saturday, they may have stopped on this street to try Picadillo's special hamburger (or any other delicacy from their short but excellent menu). Or perhaps they have passed by and want to sit on the terrace of La Contenta, in front of the front of the Library, a new and pleasant place for a beer or whatever happens to have a snack.
In these streets in a few meters the locals crowd . There are many throats and gizzards that need their nectar and ambrosia on lazy afternoons, so there is no shortage of supply.
Cañas and tapas in terraceo mode
Before we get into the Constitution Square , where the old town hall of Vigo was located, full of terraces for coffees, cocktails and other snacks, or if we have fled from it because dads and moms who also deserve their drink got ahead of us, we can enjoy original tapas at a good price in the Lume de Carozo.
Surrounding the square, on the corner of Rúa da Palma with Rúa do Triunfo, wine lovers they will find in the Buqué a whole sanctuary. Is small wine bar offers a trip back in time with its decoration, as well as a wide range of wines. Just a few steps away, Collegiate Church of Santa Maria de Vigo , in Praza da Igrexa, becomes center of a different cult on weekends. There may not be much going on inside, but at its doors and on the steps that give access to its entrance, cane climbers gather and take a seat to enjoy the offer of bars that surround it.
For lovers of good wine
The Praza da Pedra merges with that of the Igrexa towards the sea and gives access to the walkway of the shopping center to laxe , controversial building, but which cannot be denied a privileged location next to the nautical port, the port of Berbes and, of course, the Ría de Vigo, sometimes hidden behind huge cruise ships. Let's suppose that their tourist intentions are purer than interior purchases and that they know that going to the street of the oysters for something more than just browsing is foreigners. As a good allergic to certain marine foods, I will try to convince you that there is much more than seafood in these parts.
The Royal Street , a possible way to cross the area towards Berbés, lives up to its name by offering a good atmosphere and places for almost any time of any day. In it is the mythical O Porco. Knowing this task is approximately equivalent to to be worthy of the Vigueses card (for those of us who are foreigners, understand me), and it is mandatory to try their exquisite roasted ham sandwich You are warned, however: do not expect to be dazzled by the decoration of the premises, or other modernities, here the TV is tube and it is there so that the cook does not get bored and, if he could, he would have sawdust on the floor. And that's how we like it.
The Fai Bistés is another great classic. This specialist house grilled meats has managed to combine the best of the old town, the classic and the modern in its decoration tasca-chic , creative, original and welcoming. With this and how well you eat, little more can you ask for.
Grilled meats
As not only classics can live, they are very welcome new signings . Pentagrama Casco Vello is one of them and it has become the perfect place for those moments in which you feel like snacking but not moving where you've been enjoying a first sip. A short but quality letter will help us calm the gusa. And, what the hell, while we're at it, we can take the first one here.
Another addition, although not so recent, to the Rúa Real is A Mordiscos. In the bones of what one day was, as the natives tell me, a well-known rocker “garito” , cañas and tapas come together in an atmosphere of endearing modernity . The place is beautiful, there is no other word to describe it, and the tapas are not only original, but rich, rich.
Good Tapas, Better Story
The well-known Uno Está cocktail bar has been around for a longer time. Flag bearer of the fortnightly aperitif session, enlivened with live music , Uno Está offers delicious cocktails in a warm atmosphere with impeccable decoration.
And speaking of cocktails, we can't leave out the Civet . Going up, of course, a slope, the Rua da Anguia, your door may go unnoticed but, if you pay attention, you can enjoy classic, original or masterfully tuned cocktails for you (word of lemon addict shaker).
Before leaving the low zone (because, I warn you, there are slopes), stop by the ferry to drink a Guinness. They may even have a chance to practice English, attend a concert or, what the hell, have a well-drained Guinness, which is not turkey mucus. If you go, please don't forget to toast Danny, his soul, which he left us recently.
A little above Fai Bistés (note that in Vigo things are, in general, either up or down), O Bañista offers us toast, cocas and other delicious bites to accompany a good beer in a place that has lived a lot of history: before being a bar, a convent and even Napoleon's barracks were located here, they say.
cup and toast
We keep going up until we look at Elduayen , one of the streets that separates the lower Casco Vello from the upper one. Next to it, Taberna A Mina is a classic venue that is also taking up **that great custom that is the vermouth session**, tempting us with Saturday tapas prepared by guest chefs (of degrees of professionalism quite scattered but never disappointing) . Open since the 1950s, this tavern passed last December into new hands that have managed to preserve the spirit of the tavern, the neighborhood atmosphere and, what is more important, the mussels with sauce that they once put To Mina on the map.
In case you haven't noticed, with this route we will leave the old area below. In this impasse, the Rúa do Príncipe will tempt them, Vigo's shopping street par excellence, but resist it . Abeleira Menéndez Street awaits us, through which we enter the so-called High Hair Helmet , which will guide us to the Castro Park.
A famous chef who cooks for you every week
In recent years, it is this area that has received most of the council's efforts , as evidenced by the multitude of housing and business developments, all of them restored with sufficient care and taste, keeping the stone and the original spirit of the buildings. Despite the sordid history that its streets could tell, to which some people from Vigo "lifelong" cling to say that it is still not as good as it could be, the High Hair Helmet He beats hard and is showing a lot, although it is true that he has a lot to offer.
In these times of business fluctuation, not to call it another way, the shops and places that offer something special , something else (something for which it is worth, and much, to exercise the buttocks on such slopes) .
The Echo Triad
For example, up here we find A Tenda do Avó or A Horta de Abeleira , two businesses that recover the spirit of the neighborhood or town store, with quality local products, as before, so to speak. very close, we hear the word bazaar again, that we believed, at least I, forgotten. Of course, with a twist: in the Matina they offer us breakfast, snacks, activities and things to buy. The good hipster will believe that he has died and gone to heaven.
Coworking offices, bars with history, labyrinthine alleys and surprises in the form of graffiti, ruins or architectural recovery . We don't quite know if our stones want to become hipsters either recover the enxebre mariñeiro that they carry inside. Be that as it may, the recovery process is getting us to the most classic streets of the city, recovering the life of the village that one day saw Vigo born, almost like fishermen , to the blow of reeds.
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Breakfast, brunch, snacks... EVERYTHING