• Plan.The best route along the central coast of Asturias from Cudillero to Gijón

  • Nature: Asturias in danger of extinction: from the 'cunqueiros' to the brown bear

It is

one of the most beautiful towns in Spain.

Without discussion. We say it, yes, but also the official rankings of the Association of the Most Beautiful Towns of Spain, the Lonely Planet editorial, Tripadvisor and even

The New York Times newspaper,

which has included it in its essential travelers We talk about

Cudillero,

the town marinera from Asturias scattered on a slope

at the foot of the Cantabrian Sea.

Just to taste their hake skewer in the casserole or their

pixines or pixuetines

paired with a culín of cider, a getaway would be enough.

Precisely this last fish, whose name has

Viking origin

, is the symbol of Cudillero. "That is why they call it

Villa Pixueta

and its inhabitants,

pixuetos,

although in the rest of Spain it is nothing other than the monkfish of a lifetime," says Manuel, one of the Fernández brothers (the other is called Demetrio) who runs the

fishmonger La Ribera,

opened in 1925 and the most popular place. "They also ask us a lot for the curadillo, a kind of small shark that dries in the sun." It is served in the main restaurants in town, concentrated especially in the

Plaza de la Marina

and its surroundings. Here are some: El Remo, El Patron. Isabel,

La Taberna del Puerto

or Casa Julia.

They are the

culprits

that Cudillero smells of sea and shellfish in every corner. But the

gastro tribute

is just an excuse to visit it. You also have to climb up to its

viewpoints

to enjoy the views of its houses with multicolored facades rushing into the void so given to Instagram and company. The same ones that

José Luis Garci

immortalized

in

Start Again,

the first Spanish film to win an Oscar. Just take a look at the cobblestone ground to follow the route marked by the painted icons: anchors, fish and ships. Each leads to a viewpoint. The panoramic view from

Garita-Atalaya

is one of the most coveted, but also those of Pico, Cimadevilla or El

Cabo Vidio lighthouse

, a little further away.

Facade of the Casona de la Paca, in Cudillero.

Back in the ring, it would be necessary to mark a route of shops in some such as

La Gijonesa

(specialized in preserves) or

Arte y Mar,

where they also dispatch

tables of

gourmet

cheeses

as well as crafts such as black ceramic pieces made by hand.

To sleep in Cudillero, a good place is the Casona de la Paca, an

Indian mansion from 1877

built by an Asturian who triumphed in Cuba and, on his return, wanted to pay tribute to his mother by naming her.

Today, it is a charming rural hotel with

19 rooms

and several apartments where the stables used to be.

The

exquisite

colonial

decoration

is a thing of Montserrat Abad, owner for 22 years, as well as the apples and the

handful of nuts

that are never lacking in the rooms, many with views of a charming garden "with centenary trees", she proudly clarifies.

And pay attention to the

homemade cakes

for breakfast.

The Beach of Silence

The route through the Principality continues 16 kilometers from Cudillero on one of the most impressive beaches in the Cantabrian Sea, El Silencio, integrated within the

Protected Landscape

of the Western Coast of Asturias.

In the shape of a shell, this 500-meter inlet of boulders hides a virgin landscape topped

by vertiginous cliffs.

These protect it from the onslaught of the sea, which become a kind of shocking lullaby.

Hence the name, although it is also called

El Gavieiru.

View of the beach of Silencio.

To access it, you have to reach the town of

Castañeras

and start a walk through the bushes that continues up some stairs that overlook the sea. Nearby is the

Gueirúa beach,

also belonging to the municipality of Cudillero and another one of those included in the

top ten

of the most beautiful in Asturias. The image of its

pointed islets poking out of the waves

is one of the most sought after by photography lovers. And from social networks.

The itinerary continues with a visit to an authentic artisan cheese factory,

El Rey Silo

, in the town of Pravia, less than 15 minutes by car from Cudillero.

Its star product is

Afuega'l Pitu

(to drown the throat in bable),

one of the oldest and most distinctive cheeses of Asturias

made on small farms in the center of the Principality.

Of course, less and less ... Because there are fewer and fewer cheese factories that find it profitable to do it in an artisanal way.

Interior of the El Rey Silo cheese factory.

The partners of El Rey Silo (internationally awarded) wanted to break the trend, among them the

Asturian chef José Andrés,

who serves this delicacy of raw milk from Friesian cows in the area at his

Jaleo restaurant

in Washington DC or in the Little Spain market in New York.

In Spain, it can be enjoyed in exclusive venues such as

Moments

, the restaurant of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Barcelona run by Carme Ruscalleda and her son.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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