León
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León: the unfathomable roar that never stops
Do you feel that? The largest province of Castilla y León holds within it a unique seismic power, one that flows directly from the earth. The most obvious expression of this strength can be seen in Las Médulas, a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape and a stunning destination filled with coppery pinnacles.
More than 2,000 years ago, this territory was a great open-pit gold mine of the Roman Empire. You will feel small before the magnanimity of the landscape that you can see from the Mirador de Orellán viewpoint after having done one of its routes.
From this same land also come the classic meat dishes of León, with which you will enjoy one of the most delicious cuisines of the peninsula. Cecina and black pudding from León, Maragato stew, botillo del Bierzo, cod with garlic, beans or frog's legs "a la bañezana".
Please don't leave without trying the tortilla guisada (cooked in water with garlic, pepper, onion and paprika). Forcefulness and power, two qualities that apply to the territory and character of León, a place historically determined by the Vía de la Plata and the Camino de Santiago.
These two gates open to the world originated on ancient Roman roads and meet at a key point in the province: Astorga, capital of the Maragatería region. A place that will delight the youngest members of the family, who will dream of princes and princesses when they see Antonio Gaudí's Episcopal Palace. Today it is the Museum of the Pilgrims' Roads, dedicated to the Pilgrims' Road to Santiago de Compostela.
The French Way is the best known. But other routes to Santiago pass through León, such as the Winter Way, specially designed to avoid the harsh snows of O Cebreiro.
This one stops in Ponferrada, capital of the Bierzo region crowned by the Templar Castle, where the Middle Ages and the avant-garde of a modern city come together. It is here where you can practice the warrior's rest in the Hotel AS Ponferrada, a charming and excellent accommodation to disconnect and recharge your batteries
If anything aesthetically defines the city of León, it is the iconic Gothic cathedral of Santa María de Regla or the city's other neo-Gothic 'cathedral', Gaudí's Casa Botines. But León is also defined by a table full of small dishes in the Húmedo, a neighbourhood you have to walk up and down, stopping from bar to bar and tapa to tapa.
They should be listed as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Don't say we're exaggerating, you'll prove us right when you trace the following route: the black pudding at La Bicha, the tortilla at El Flecha, the potatoes with garlic and cayenne at El Flechazo or the garlic soups at Rincón del Gaucho.
And if you're still hungry for more, venture into the Romantic Quarter to try the croquettes of El Patio or Ezequiel's cured meats.
Charming villages of León
León is dotted with villages that hide charming secrets. Did you know that one of them hides the highest swing in Spain, about eight metres high? This is the village of Riaño and you will find it at the natural viewpoint in the Alto de Valcayo.
It is time to return to that earthly power so evident in León... This time, from within. Do you dare to get into the heart of the province and listen to its heart? The rooms and galleries of the Valporquero caves await you: here you can walk among stalactites and stalagmites.
León roars from within, but if silence is your thing, villages such as Balboa, in the heart of the Sierra de Ancares, where the traditional thatched pallozas with their green roofs are still preserved, will be your best allies.