Page 134 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

132  NOR THERN SP AIN

q Haro
La Rioja. * 11,300. £ @ n Plaza
de la Paz, 941 30 35 80. ( Tue & Sat.
_ Wine Battle (29 Jun), San Juan,
San Felices, San Pedro (24–29 Jun),
Virgen de la Vega (8 Sep).
∑ haroturismo.org
A graceful town on the Río
Ebro, Haro has a lively old
quarter with wine taverns
and mansions. It is crowned
by the hilltop Iglesia de Santo
Tomás, a Gothic church with
a Plateresque (see p29) portal.
Haro is the centre for the
vineyards and bodegas of the
Rioja Alta wine region, which
is higher and cooler than the
Rioja Baja (see pp82–3). The clay
soil and the climate – Haro is
sheltered by a sierra to the
north – create the con ditions
in which the famous regional
wines are produced. Many
bodegas run tours and tastings.
To join one, you need to book
ahead at the bodega. There may
be a small charge. The charming
cafés in the Old Town offer local
wines and tapas at low prices
and a convivial atmosphere.
A wine-throwing orgy is Tomb of St Dominic in the cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada
the climax of the area’s fiesta
(see p136) held every June. w Santo Domingo are recorded in carvings on
de la Calzada his tomb in the town’s part-
Romanesque, part-Gothic
La Rioja. * 6,300. @ n Calle cathedral, and in paintings
Mayor 33, 941 34 12 38. ( Sat. on the wall of the choir. The
_ Fiestas del Santo (25 Apr–15 May),
Día del Patron (12 May). most obvious and bizarre
record is a sumptuously
This town on the Road to dec orated cage set in a
Santiago de Compostela (see wall in which, for centuries,
pp86–7) is named after the a live cock and hen have
11th-century saint who been kept. The cathedral has
built bridges and roads a carved walnut reredos at
(calzadas) to help pilgrims. the high altar, the last work,
Santo Domingo also founded in 1541, of the artist Damià
a hospital, which now Forment. The restored
Rows of Rioja vines on the rolling hills serves as a parador (see p564). 14th-century ramparts of the
near Haro Miracles performed by the saint town are also worth seeing.

The Cock and Hen of St Dominic
A live cock and hen are kept in the cathedral of Santo
Domingo de la Calzada as a tribute to the saint’s miraculous
life-giving powers. Centuries ago, it is said, a German
pilgrim refused the advances of a local girl, who denounced
him as a thief. He was hanged as a consequence, but later
his parents found him alive on the gallows. They rushed to
a judge, who said, dismissively, “Nonsense, he’s no more
alive than this roast chicken on my plate”. Whereupon,
the chicken stood up on the plate and crowed. The cock and hen in their decorated cage

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp563–4 and pp585–6

132-133_EW_Spain.indd 132 26/09/17 11:00 am
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Date 5th December 2012
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