Page 73 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

GALICIA  71

A century older is the Pazo
de Fefináns, decorated with
Baroque coats of arms, in which
one of the town’s oldest
bodegas has been established;
the estate also comprises the
late 16th-century Iglesia de
San Benito. For a strange
experience, visit the ruins of
the roofless Iglesia de Santa
Mariña de Dozo, which stands
near the hill of A Pastora. Close
by is the Museo Etnográfico
e do Vino, where you can see The picturesque coast near Sanxenxo
exhibits connected with the
region’s history and culture and resorts in the Rías Baixas. Silgar i Illas Cíes
learn about wine produc tion beach has the most modern Pontevedra. Road Map A3. n
in the Rías Baixas. sports harbour in Galicia. Its Old Estación Marítima de Ría, C/Cánovas
In the Santo Tomé district, Town features the 17th-century del Castillo 3, Vigo; 986 22 47 57. g
you can visit the ruins of the Iglesia de San Xinés as well as
tower of San Sadurnino, dating the 16th–18th-century Pazo de The three islands of Cíes are
from the 10th century. los Patino, with a tower, the uninhabited, if you don’t count
coats of arms of its former the lighthouse keeper and
E Museo Etnográfico e do Viño inhabitants, and stone steps guards. You can get here from
Avenida da Pastora 104. Tel 986 52 61 leading out onto a terrace. Vigo by one of the boats moored
19. Open 10am–2pm & 4:30–7:30pm The Sanxenxo area also at the improvised port on the Illa
Tue–Sat (till 8pm in summer), enjoys a good reputation for Norte (or Monteagudo), or from
10am–2pm Sun. & = 7 its albariño white wine. Baiona in summer. The Illa Norte
is joined to the Illa do Faro by a
Environs sandbar and an artificial embank-
y A Toxa One of the best-known local ment along which runs the road.
Pontevedra. Road Map A2. @ beaches is Praia da Lanzada – There is a campsite on Faro,
n Ayuntamiento, O Grove, a superb long beach that’s a which must be booked ahead
Praza do Corgo; 986 73 14 15. favourite with windsurfers. on 986 43 83 58. The third island
( Fri. _ Shellfish fiesta (weekend On Midsummer’s Eve, near is called Sur or San Martín.
before 12 Oct). ∑ turismogrove.es the Romanesque hermitage The entire archipelago is a
of Santa María, a colourful national park and a paradise
A tiny pine-covered island pilgrimage of women used for waterfowl. It boasts breath-
joined to the mainland by a to enter the sea to perform taking landscapes, beaches
bridge, A Toxa is one of the the ancient ritual of bano (also for nudists), the ruins of
most stylish resorts in Galicia. das nove ondas. Nine waves a Celtic castro, and an ancient
The belle époque palace-hotel had to envelop the body of Suevi monastery that was
and luxury villas add to the each woman, who during this plundered by the Vikings and
island’s elegant atmosphere. time made a wish – single later by English pirates. The
A Toxa’s best-known landmark women wished for marriage, islands have a first-aid post,
is the small church covered with married women for children. café and police station.
scallop shells. Aross the bridge is
O Grove, a thriving family resort Rosalía de Castro and Camilo José Cela
and fishing port on a peninsula,
with holiday hotels and flats These two writers from Padrón left a profound mark
alongside glorious beaches. on Galicia. Rosalía de Castro (1837–85), a
Galician national icon, was the foremost
figure of the 19th-century renaissance in
u Sanxenxo the Galician language, with such works as
Cantares Gallegos. Her poetry was written in
Pontevedra. Road Map A2. * 17,500. Gallego, and coloured by her difficult life. Born
n Puerto Deportivo Juan Carlos I; an illegitimate child, she herself lost seven
986 72 02 85. _ Tourist Day (25 Aug); children, and died prematurely of cancer
Santa Rosalía (4 Sep); Nosa Señora do after a lifetime of illness. Camilo José
Carmen (5 Sep). ∑ sanxenxo.es Cela (1916–2002), winner of the Nobel
Prize in 1989, wrote in Spanish and
With its good restaurants, lively was renowned for his superb mastery
nightlife, big promenade and of language and knowledge of the The 19th-century Galician
attractive beaches, Sanxenxo human character. poet, Rosalía de Castro
is one of the most popular

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