What to see and do in Elciego, a beautiful town in Rioja Alavesa

You will surely approach Rioja Alavesa with the intention of doing wine tourism, but in your plan of trip visiting wineries or staying in hotels with charm, You must also make room to enjoy the artistic heritage of its small towns.

In this regard, the visit from Elciego It must be a stage in your trip to Rioja.

Butwhat you can see and do in Elciego?

I tell you that there are two attractions of visit ElciegoOn the one hand, walk around your historical CenterWith its Plaza Mayor, emblazoned houses and the great monument of the church of San Andrés.

And on the other hand, getting to know one of the most touristically famous wineries in the world. Rioja territory, Marqués de Riscal, with its hotel designed by the famous Canadian architect Frank Gehry.

The first knowledge of the existence of The blind It dates back to a document from the year 1067 found in San Millan de la Cogolla.

The truth is that The blind Initially it was a village that depended on the nearby population of Laguardia, and it was at the end of the 1583th century, in XNUMX, when it was established as a town.

Now when you walk through the little historic center of Elciego, a town that barely has 1.000 inhabitants, you will see that it extends around the Plaza Mayor, with characteristics very common to those of other towns in the area.

What to see when visiting Elciego

But above all you will find several palace houses that maintain the configuration of the 17th century.

To highlight the noble shields what you will see on its facades and also its hardware, common in the area.

Without a doubt, the best example of hardware is in the Navarrete Thief Palace of Guevara, Baroque style, also known as the House of Irons.

Plaza Mayor of Elciego

Located in the northeast corner of the Plaza Mayor, its balconies are a sumptuous exercise in iron work.

The shield on the corner of the house is that of the one who was Bishop of Mondoñedo and Archbishop of Burgos.

La Plaza Mayor from Elciego It is configured with the town hall building on its south side and the Hermitage of the Virgin of the Plaza, the patron saint of the town, on the north side.

In the center of the square you will see the typical temple.

On the façade of Elciego town hall, from the 18th century, you can see a shield of the House of the Austrias, as well as a porticoed gallery with arches of six openings.

Hermitage of the Virgin of the Plaza in Elciego

For its part, the hermitage of the Virgin of the Plaza It also dates back to the 18th century.

Baroque in style, it is located in the space that was once occupied by a Gothic church.

Inside the octagonal building there are three baroque altarpieces, the main one being dedicated to the Patron Saint of Elciego.

As you leave the square on the southeast side, towards the main church of the town, you find another stately house.

This is the Ramírez de la Piscina palace, which are actually two buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries, also with a shield in one corner and balconies with grilles.

From there you will reach the main monument of Elciego.

Church of San Andrés in Elciego

Actually I am referring to the main ancient monument, since it must be recognized that The blind It has two great monuments, St. Andrew's Church and Marqués de Riscal Winery hotel.

La church of San Andrés It is a large building, which can be best seen from a distance, from one of the entrances to the town.

Built in ashlar stone during the 16th century, it has a very austere exterior where the portico stands out with its two towers of different finishes.

This parish church shows a mix of architectural styles.

With a single large nave (4 meters long and 16 meters wide) and Gothic style in its first sections, the ceiling has star vaults.

It will be the transept and the apse that will focus your attention most inside the church, with great Renaissance-style decoration.

Specifically, you will find the fluted semicircular apse striking, a configuration that is not very common to see.

Of course it also highlights the Main Altarpiece from the 17th century, which is already in the Baroque style, although it maintains the Renaissance influence.

The classical-style 18th-century organ remains in operation, and you should also pay attention to the 16th-century polychrome paintings that are largely preserved in the area of ​​the aforementioned transept and apse.

Marqués de Riscal Wineries in Elciego

Not far from this church you can see the modern and majestic building designed for the Marqués de Riscal wineries by the aforementioned architect Frank Gehry,

It is a spectacular construction where materials such as stone, glass and metallic elements with various colors are combined, which will surely remind you of the Gugenheim museum in Bilbao, one of his most famous designs.

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El Marqués de Riscal hotel It is a luxury establishment, very exclusive, to which, even if you go to visit the wineries, you will only be able to access if you are a customer.

But there is no doubt that this hotel has helped The blind be a better known place in the rest of Spain.

Photos ElCiego

Here you have more photos of Elciego, in Rioja Alavesa.