Page 110 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

108  NOR THERN SP AIN REGION B Y REGION

i Comillas
Cantabria. Road Map F1. * 2,500.
n Plaza Joaquín del Piélago I; 942 72
25 91. ( Fri. _ San Pedro (29 Jun), El
Cristo & Virgen del Carmen (16 Jul).
∑ comillas.es
This pretty resort is known for its
unusual buildings designed by
Catalan Modernista archi tects.
Antonio López y López, the first
Marquis of Comillas, hired Joan
Martorell to design the Palacio
de Sobrellano (1881), a huge
and intricate Neo-Gothic edifice.
Comillas’ best-known monu ment One of the villages picturesquely set in the Valle de Cabuérniga
is Gaudí’s El Capricho, built in
1883–5, a part-Mudéjar-inspired Of note are the magnificent notable for its typical Cantabrian
fantasy palace. The Modernista residences, especially the rural architecture. The inhabitants
Universidad Pontificia was 18th-century Palacio de la of the village cultivate old craft
designed by Joan Martorell to Bodega with the coat of arms of traditions – in particular carpentry.
plans by Domènech i Montaner. the de los Cevallos family inlaid Lamiña features a 10th-
in its façade, and the Baroque century hermitage (Ermita de
+ Palacio de Sobrellano Iglesia de San Martín, dating San Fructoso) while Ucieda has
Tel 942 72 03 39. Open Apr–Oct: from the beginning of the 17th a beautiful nature reserve with
9:30am–2:30pm & 3:30–6:30pm (to century. The best time to visit beech and oak forests.
7:30pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep) Tue–Sun; Cabezón de la Sal is on the
Nov–Mar: 9:30am–3:30pm Tue–Fri, second Sunday in August –
9:30am–2:30pm & 3:30–5:30pm Sat & Regional Cantabria Day – when p Alto Campoo
Sun. Last adm 1 hour before closing. & you can gain an insight into the Cantabria. Road Map F2. * 1,900.
8 compulsory; book in advance. colourful local traditions.
n Estación de Montaña; 942 77 92 23.
∑ altocampoo.com/la-estacion
P El Capricho de Gaudí o Valle de
Barrio de Sobrellano. Tel 942 72 03 65. High in the Cantabrian moun-
Open daily. Mar–Jun & Oct: 10:30am– Cabuérniga tains, this small but excellent
8pm; Jul–Sep: 10:30am–9pm; Nov–Feb: Cantabria. Road Map F2. ski resort lies below the three
10:30am-5:30pm. & 8 7 partial. n Ayuntamiento, Ruente; alpine peaks of El Cuchillón,
942 70 91 04. El Chivo and Pico de Tres Mares
(2,175 m/7,136 ft). The last of
This picturesque valley is these, the “Peak of the Three
home to many interesting Seas”, is so called because the
pueblos. A good place to start rivers rising near it flow into the
is Bárcena Mayor, which is Mediterranean, the Atlantic and
Gaudí in Cantabria
Antoni Gaudí’s El Capricho
palace is one of his very few
designs to be seen outside
Barcelona. This fantasy building
owes its name to the minaret-
like tower. Typifying his eclectic
style, it combines various
materials including ceramics,
and displays the characteristic
freedom of composition,
resulting in the stylized
The huge, Neo-Gothic Palacio de Sobrellano “fairytale” appearance.
in Comillas Gaudí came to work in
Comillas through Antonio
Environs López y López, who married
Some 11 km (7 miles) from into the Güell family of
Comillas is the tiny Cabezón de industrialists – patrons of the Exterior of Gaudí’s fairytale-like
la Sal, known already in Roman great architect and artist. El Capricho palace in Comillas
times as a centre of the salt trade.
For hotels and restaurants see pp204–5 and pp217–19

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