Page 435 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

result is the spectacular
Frank Gehry–designed
Hotel Marqués de Riscal.
Costing around €85
million, the building is
a flamboyant wave of
TIM GRAHAM / GETTY IMAGES ©
multicoloured titanium
sheets that stands in
utter contrast to the
village behind. It’s like
a rainbow-flavoured
Guggenheim museum
(not surprisingly, per-
haps, as that was also
designed by Gehry).
Casual visitors are not
really welcome to look SPAIN 31 ROvING LA RIOjA WINE REGION
around the hotel, but
there is an excellent
wine shop and interest-
ing wine tours (%945 18
08 88; www.marquesderiscal.
com; tour €11) take place
– there’s at least one
English-language tour
a day.
4p435
The Drive » It’s only 15
minutes (9km) along the A3210
from Elciego to wonderful
Laguardia, which rises up off
the otherwise flat, vine-striped
countryside.

TRIP HIGHLIGHT
8 Laguardia
It’s easy to spin back the
wheels of time in the
medieval fortress town
of Laguardia, or the
‘Guard of Navarra’ as it
was once appropriately
known, sitting proudly
on its rocky hilltop. As
well as memories of
long-lost yesterdays, the
town further entices
visitors with its wine-
producing present.

433