What to see and do in Laguardia, the most beautiful town in Rioja Alavesa

Looking ahead to your trip to natural region of Rioja, surely you know that, perhaps, the most beautiful town what you can visit is Laguardia, in the zone of Rioja Alavesa.

Indeed, said natural region that above all extends along the Community of La Rioja and in the south of the Basque province of Álava, offers you an important cultural aspect that focuses on medieval towns whose streets you can walk through.

En Laguardia many of the attractions of a wine tourism trip to Riojaat visit wineriesBoth tradicionales and modern architecture, to know very interesting heritage corners.

In this medieval walled town, whose interior has been completely pedestrianized for many decades, as its streets are pierced by cellar drafts, so that the road does not support the weight of the vehicles

What are the drafts of traditional wineries?

ButWhat are the openwork?

Is caves that undermine the soil of certain neighborhoods in the medieval towns from the natural region of Rioja, and other wine-growing regions in Spain, which have traditionally been used to house wineries to preserve wine.

Actually the openwork They were not opened for this purpose, but their origin in Laguardia It is located in the 16th century, when the inhabitants of this fortified town located in border lands were seeking protection from numerous attacks and opened these family caves.

En Laguardia that openwork They extend throughout almost its entire walled interior, as there are more than 300 caves or tunnels that unite them.

These caves have a stable temperature throughout the year of between 15 and 17 degrees, and their owners have the corresponding property title.

Externally, in Laguardia you can see where there is a Draft looking at the ground of the roads in the center of town, where you will see how the doors open tubes, holes with grid.

In winery neighborhoods, the drafts are identified by the Fireplaces that are located outside.

What to see and do in Laguardia in Rioja Alavesa

Now, from the heritage and artistic point of view, it must be noted that the medieval wall of Laguardia It is completely preserved, and four doors open in it, the last one from the 16th century.

On your visit to the medieval town of Laguardia You will find several very interesting monuments, but we must highlight a true hidden gem, the Portico of the church of Santa María de los Reyes.

hidden gem for being a monument that, despite its incredible artistic wealth, is not very well known.

And it is also a hidden gem because it is a doorway that was protected by the construction of an entrance wall, so that its greatest artistic value, the 17th century polychrome, has remained in perfect condition to this day.

In fact, it is one of the few porticos with the original polychrome that you can still see in Spain.

Church of Santa María in Laguardia

The origins of church of Santa María de Laguardia are similar to those of many other churches: the construction of a first building of Romanesque architectural style, which began at the beginning of the 12th century.

The vestiges of it remain on the western façade of the church, where you can still see two quite restored Romanesque windows.

Later, between the 13th and 15th centuries, the building continued to expand, but already in Gothic style.

The ribbed vaults of the interior and, above all, the great gem of the porch.

The head of the temple was remodeled in the 16th century, with an extension of the transept and the apse, already in Renaissance style. It was in the 17th century when the great main altarpiece of the church was made, the work of Juan de Bascardó.

El Portico of the church of Santa María It was built of carved stone at the end of the 14th century.

How to see the porch of the church of Santa María in Laguardia

To see the portico of the church of Santa María de Laguardia, you have to access the building by going through the door that gives you access to the space where the porch has been protected for centuries.

At that moment you will surely be surprised by its impressive artistic wealth, of which the aforementioned stand out. polychrome which throughout history were painted twice, after their construction and then in the 17th century.

It has not subsequently been restored, so the polychromes that you will now see that are perfectly preserved are from that century.

During the visit you will first see an audiovisual of about 10 minutes of this portico whose sculptures are from the 200th century, and which was exposed to the elements for XNUMX years until in the XNUMXth century it was protected as it is today.

You will verify that the portico It is made up of a gothic arch with five archivolts, with a theme related to the life of the Virgin.

This is represented with an image of the Virgin of the Kings located between the two access doors to the church. The apostles appear on both sides of these doors.

On the tympanum there are reliefs with scenes with various scenes, finished off at the top with a scene of the Coronation of the Virgin.

Schedules and prices to visit the portico of Santa María de Laguardia

For visit the church of Santa María y see its spectacular porch, you can buy the tourist pack that allows you to also meet others places of interest of Laguardia.

To do this, you must keep in mind that visits must be booked in advance, and can be done by email: tourism@laguardia-alava.com or by phone at 945-600 845,

El price of this tourist pack is 10 euros.

How to climb the Abbey Tower in Laguardia

Right in front is the abbey tower from the 13th century, which is the external tower of the aforementioned church, and it is thought that it formed part of a monastery complex, and later became one of the towers of the castle wall.

This castle-tower It rises in the western part of the wall, and was built in two phases, the first in romantic style, and a second from the 14th century.

Nowadays you can climb to the top of it as one more visit to the aforementioned tourist pack, and from its terrace you will have the best panoramic views of Laguardia and its surroundings.

Church of San Juan Bautista in Laguardia

This fortification architectural style You can also see it in the church of San Juan Bautista, located in the opposite part of the town.

It began to be built in the 12th century as temple-fortress since it is part of the structure of the wall and has a defensive tower thereof.

But most of the building was built between the 13th and 14th centuries in Gothic style and with two apses, where you can see an altarpiece from the 18th century.

From the 16th century onwards, the defensive tower became bell tower, although it maintains its defensive style on its battlements.

Finally, in the 18th century the Chapel of the Virgin of Pilar with an octagonal plan and Baroque.

What wineries to visit in Laguardia

As we have mentioned before, on your excursion to Laguardia you can also visit a traditional winery where you can see their openwork.

Casa Primicia Wineries in Laguardia

To this end you have the option of Casa Scoop Wineries, considered as the oldest winery Rioja Alavesa, which also occupies the oldest civil building in this medieval town.

Between the 11th and 15th centuries it was a mansion, but later it became a place where the church collected tithes and first fruits.

Many centuries later, in 1973, the building, very deteriorated, was acquired by Julian Madrid, a winegrower from Laguardia who completely rehabilitated his openwork.

During the remodeling works, remains of wine-making tools were found that dated back to the same Middle Ages.

When you visit the headquarters of Casa Primicia Wineries in Laguardia, you will see that the stone and wood of the historic building has been preserved, but these elements have been combined with glass and iron.

All the caves They are eight meters deep, and are currently used to store barrels where the wine ages.

The company owns 40 hectares of vineyards in the vicinity of Laguardia, with facilities where they make wine, with three different types.

Of their total production, 1,4 million bottles, they currently export up to 70 percent.

Here you have all the information for visit Casa Primicia Wineries in Laguardia.

El Fabulista Winery in Laguardia

Very close to this winery you can also visit El Fabulista Winerywhose openwork They extend under the Samaniego Palace, current headquarters of the Laguardia tourist office.

It is one of the only two wineries located in the town where wine is still made every year, which is possible because it is in one of the few areas where vehicles can access it.

Specifically, during the harvest, the grapes are moved from their seven hectares of vineyards to two winepresses where they are pressed in the traditional way. What's more, we are all welcome to live the experience of stomping on the grapes during this time.

Annually it produces about 32.0oo liters, which gives rise to the five different types that this winery sells.

Its name of The Fabulist It is because the famous fable writer was born in the winery building. Felix Maria Samaniego.

And precisely his figure can take center stage during your visit to the winery, since you can sign up for the theatrical visits in which, in a very funny way, an actor characterized as Samani He tells you fables.

Signing up for these dramatized visits is a highly recommended option standard visit, in which the three openwork of the winery and the process of making these wines is known, mostly with the carbonic maceration system, the most traditional in this region.

Here you have all the information for visit the El Fabulista Winery in Laguardia.