Roman ways Route. Valdeorras

The best way to approach Valdeorras is along the road N-120. Our first stop is A Rúa. The history of this place, as well as the area, is linked to romanization. Here the mansion of Forum Cigurrorum was founded next to the bridge over Sil river, the Cigarrosa Bridge. In Old A Rúa it is remarkable the Roman tombstone in the front of a house next to the Church of Santo Estevo.

The recreational area of O Aguillón, in A Rúa, is a unique place to enjoy nature, walking on the Sil river side in the San Martiño reservoir area.

From Fontei, whose church is very linked with Gaudí, we can get closer to Barranco Rubio, a viewpoint to A Rúa and Petín, the San Martiño reservoir and large areas of vineyards in the valley.

From Petín, with a beautiful historical centre, we can visit the Church of Santa María de Mones, located in the old fort dominated by the valley. With Roman origins, the most special thing is its decoration, represented by identified Roman sets of game. 

Very close to A Rúa we arrive in Vilamartín de Valdeorras. The wine world and the winemaking tradition is very present in this council, with plant nurseries, wineries and ethnographic elements of great value such as the ‘Covas’. The wineries can be visited if you are registered and the ‘Covas’ are accessible once a year when the Covas de Vilamartín party is celebrated. We turn off to Córgomo and Valdegodos to watch gold mine operations outdoors. 

The municipality has plenty of pazos. The vast majority of them have a typical architecture of the area, where the red stone is remarkable. The visit to the pazos can be an interesting route since the council has the largest number of houses with coats of arms in the region.  Probably the most salient one is the Pazo de Arnado and the castle of Torre Penela, with big crenelated towers, as well as others in this area. If we continue along the road N-120 we get to O Barco de Valdeorras, the main town in the region. In the village of O Castro, it stands out the tower and the remains of its fortification and an old millenary fort. To visit it there are some informative panels and a metal structure inside throughout you can access to the top. From here you can watch the amazing views to the valley and O Barco.

Very close to the Pazo de O Castro is found. Currently this is a hotel establishment with a very peculiar building for the structure and the materials used, especially the red stone typical from the region. Indoors we find its original furniture and some collections.

Another interesting place is the Monastery of Xagoaza. The original building belonged to the order of St John of Jerusalem as suggested by the Malta cross from the 12th century. The cross is carved over the church of San Miguel’s main door, next to the monastery. Moreover, a path attached to the monastery leads us to the riverbed of the Mariñán stream, where there is an old roman stone bridge. 

The walk of O Malecón is a must-it is a pleasant recreation area on the banks of the Sil.

On the other side of the river, we find the village of Viloira, its square and the great house of Viloira, with remarkable gardens. Very close to it, there is a viewpoint over the pillar from the disappeared bridge of San Fernando, collapsed t in the 1959 floods.

The best viewpoint of the area is placed in Alixo. You can get there by car until the village, where you should follow the small path between chestnut trees until the viewpoint.

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The Santiago way throughout the river is the Winter Way. This way is the natural door to Galicia from the Plateau, an access used since the Romans. The gravestone in A Rúa Vella is from the 2nd or 3rd century. It is devoted to Lucio Pompeyo and Reburro Fabro and its importance stands on the fact that it gives the place name Calúbriga.

From Fervenza we will get to the Fervenza de Portomao or da Pincheira, a place to completely relax and let oneself go by the sound of water. In the middle of the path to A Picheira, in the turnoff to the village of Correxais, there is a bank/viewpoint with amazing views over the Sil river valley running through O Barco and Vilamartín.

Starting in O Barco, we can visit Carballeda de Valdeorras to enjoy the river area of A Ponte Nova, where you can do adventure activities such as kayak routes in the river or rafting. It is also remarkable the Candís river area, between O Barco and Sobradelo where you can do canyoning and amazing natural pools. We end the journey in Rubiá.

Here the Serra de Enciña da Lastra Natural Park is the only park of Mediterranean climate in Galicia. Its limestone heights are strange in the Galician landscape, where granite is predominant. 

The first stop is at the Park Visitors Centre in the urban area of Biobra. There are easy and signed routes.

Taking the turnoff to N-120, villages such as Oulego, Covas or Vilardesilva are a must in the visit to the park. The viewpoints are amazing: Caprada (Oulego), Alta da Escrita (Biobra), Tanque (Covas) or the Portela (Vilardesilva). The same happens with the landscapes, places such as Penedos de Oulego or the knife-cut walls where the Sil flows in the Covas strait.

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We should not forget about the gastronomy of the area, as well as the Valdeorras Designation Origin wines. You can make appointments for guided visits within the Valdeorras Wine Route.

In Carballeda de Valdeorras we found the Teixedal of Casaio, the only remaining yew tree forest in Galicia and the best conserved in the whole Peninsula.