Spain’s north-westernmost region (Credit: Getty Images)In the Ribeira Sacra's dizzyingly high landscapes near-vertical vineyards are perched above rivers The stunning scenery – and the resulting wines – are an oenophile's dream Vertiginous views are a hallmark of the Ribeira Sacra, a collection of small towns that mostly hug the Sil and Miño rivers in Galicia Galicia is often referred to as "green Spain" for its verdant landscapes the product of frequent rainfall compared to elsewhere in Spain but it's these two rivers that have shaped the Ribeira Sacra The name means "sacred riverbank" in the Galician language a nod to both the topography and the area's long monasterial history It's not the easiest terrain to cross, filled with narrow winding roads that wrap around hills and cut through stands of chestnuts and oaks. As I left Cabezoás, I headed west to the region's main monastery, Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil Santo Estevo has been beautifully restored and is now part of Spain's national network of paradores (state-run hotels often housed in historic structures) Although it is first mentioned in documents from the 10th Century the monastery is believed to be several centuries older than that and I couldn't help but wonder how they built such a massive compound back then on the rim of a mountain Those monks definitely had an eye for prime real estate but the miradoiros (scenic overlooks) I passed along the way provided a different kind of religious experience mocking gravity and offering vistas that will fill your heart or stop it cold Water has forged its own green cathedrals here more monumental than even the most spectacular structures built by humans In fact, the Ribeira Sacra was declared a biosphere reserve in 2022, and it is Spain's only nomination for Unesco World Heritage status in 2024 The application revolves around the central place of water in this landscape Beyond the production of hydroelectric power the rivers have propelled a long history of milling – corn and other grains – but it's the nearly vertical vineyards along their banks that play a starring role Green Getaways is a BBC Travel series that helps travellers experience a greener cleaner approach to getting out and seeing the world Winemaking took off after the arrival of the Romans and the monastic orders that followed them The region's predominant grape is Mencía though winemakers are increasingly adding a little Brancellao as well as producing beautifully floral whites starring the Godello grape hindered by rural poverty and tangled land-inheritance laws but the Ribeira Sacra's star has risen sharply over the past decade with connoisseurs now seeking out its boutique bottlings It is also a naturally sustainable wine region as no other approach would work over the long term as they advance carefully down row after acrophobia-inducing row of vines along which grapes can be moved in small motorised containers – either up toward narrow clearings where they can be loaded onto a truck or down to the river for boat transport – but this is not an option for most which include visits to wineries and other attractions Established as an official wine region in 1996, the Ribeira Sacra holds "heroic viticulture" designation, awarded by an Italian nonprofit that promotes and protects mountainous wine regions around the world your terraced vineyards must have a minimum altitude of 500m and a gradient above 30% she casually referred to local vineyards as paredes (walls) which makes sense when you consider that a 70% slope is not unusual She rightly marvelled at what must have gone into creating these terraces "It was an immense job to build these walls and ensure they don't collapse where she produces just 3,000 bottles per year of a young red made with Mencía these rustic cellars date to medieval times and were traditionally used by families to make and store wine for their own consumption and bring home enough wine for the day's meals and Díaz Ferreiro's is the sole commercial operation Her vineyards can only be accessed on foot, from above. While I found the lush highland scenery to be breathtaking, I wanted to get closer to the water, so I headed west to the village of Belesar to meet Martín Martínez. Established in 2020, his Ecosacra winery is what's known locally as an adega de garda (storage winery) where wine that's been made elsewhere is kept in cool his adega had been abandoned for 14 years when he bought and restored it even reusing old wine barrels to make shelving and tables It's a beautifully rustic space overlooking the Miño River with an outdoor patio where you can try his wines – a white made with the Godello grape and a red Mencía-dominated blend – while dining on local cheese charcuterie and empanadas (Galician large-format baked meat or fish pies) Where to stay: Spend the night in monasterial surroundings at Santo Estevo, or stay at As Torres da Ermida a boutique hotel in Monterroso in the former home of an aristocrat or nosh at Monforte de Lemos' tapas bars clustered around Rúa Cardenal Rodrigo de Castro To reach Ecosacra, I booked a tour that included a magical journey on Martínez's small boat As we glided past forested riverbanks so densely green they could pass for Tolkien's Shire I was humbled by the view of those mindboggling vineyards; it was beyond me how those first grape-growers ever conceived of farming this terrain But even more remarkable was the canyon itself a testament to the sheer force of water across geological time Ecosacra's name reflects Martínez's commitment to protecting his natural resources he takes a low-intervention approach in his vineyards conserving the soil's health and using no herbicides or insecticides and his small catamaran is the first hybrid passenger boat in the area he proudly told me about the otters that were spotted near his private pier The team behind local event company I-Radia Crea felt the same way when they created 17 Grados a music festival that highlights the landscape Named for the vineyards' minimum slope in degrees the lineup features concerts at a hilltop winery but the most coveted events take place on a catamaran with a maximum capacity of 100 Listening to music while cruising between the steep walls of the Sil Canyon is a transcendent experience transporting you physically and metaphorically • 10 sustainable travel destinations to visit in 2024 • How the youngest Canary Island escaped mass tourism • A new record at the world's biggest snail-eating festival To protect the very qualities that make the area so unique, government officials are beginning to take a more mindful approach, learning hard lessons from other parts of Spain where overtourism has sparked the rage of local residents the tourism board encourages visitors to arrive by RENFE which stops in the region’s largest municipality There are also free hop-on hop-off minibus shuttles to reduce car traffic during the summer and Holy Week peak seasons; and the most popular attractions – such as the ancient Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil monastery and the wineries themselves – require advance reservations to manage visitor volume The travel emissions it took to report this story were 0.03 metric tons of CO2e. Find out more about how we calculated this figure here It's not easy to balance environmental protection with the real economic needs of the Ribeira Sacra's small towns But in a region where survival has long depended on nature there is still a deep connection to the environment and many locals are focused on conserving what they've inherited When Díaz Ferreiro first started growing grapes some of her neighbours would describe the ways they pruned each plant in their vineyards she couldn't imagine anyone having such an intimate understanding of individual vines but now she has become one of those people but it is something that you just have to feel," she said If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features videos and can't-miss news delivered to your inbox every Friday For more Travel stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. 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By 2021-01-21T11:47:00+00:00 Subscribers can access the Spain & Portugal network map SPAIN: In mid-January ADIF invited tenders for the electrification of the 73 km between Monforte de Lemos and Lugo as the infrastructure manager continues its gradual modernisation of the single track railway running north-south between Monforte and A Coruña The budget for the electrification work is €21∙2m with ADIF expecting completion within 18 months The route will be energised at 25 kV 50 Hz which aligns with the power supply on the high speed network Monforte is an important junction with the east-west main line between León and Ourense this route is energised at Spain’s legacy 3 kV DC but conversion to 25 kV is envisaged to integrate it with the A Coruña – Ourense – Olmedo high speed line ADIF has started to specify AC electrification for a number of upcoming projects on conventional lines partly to ensure integration with the high speed network but also to facilitate potential through running into Portugal where 25 kV 50 Hz is the national standard It now seems unlikely that ADIF will undertake much more wiring at 3 kV DC The initial section of catenary from the dry port at Monforte to Lugo Mercancías will be designed for operation at up to 200 km/h various cut-offs and realignments are planned between Monforte and A Coruña to enable journey times to the northwestern city to be further reduced SPAIN: On June 1 the government authorised ADIF Alta Velocidad to call tenders for reconstruction of the station at Santiago de Compostela SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has set out plans to invest a further €546m in modernising two rail corridors across Galicia linking the junction at Monforte de Lemos with Ourense and Lugo SPAIN: The first phase of a corridor linking Madrid with Murcia opened on February 1 with the inauguration of a 38∙3 km section of high speed line between Monforte del Cid and Orihuela Site powered by Webvision Cloud Site developed by     Copyright © Yedioth Internet the arrival of autumn marks the end of grape-growing season and the start of grape harvests in the country's wine-producing regions Harvests take weeks of arduous (and back-breaking) labor as producing award-winning wine involves an exhaustive process -- just visit the Ribeira Sacra region in Galicia intrepid workers climb and pick grapes on terraces located on impossibly steep dizzying slopes rising from several different rivers The grape growers of Ribeira Sacra have been the making the climb up the region’s steeply tiered slate bancales which rise up the face of a mountain from the River Sil for 2,000 years The Romans first carved these terraces to supply wine for their march to the Atlantic who cut vineyards into canyons and precipitous gorges of the Sil and two other rivers: the Miño and the Bibei workers of two wine estates -- the Cruceiro Reixo and Cividade Cellar -- harvest Mencia grapes from these precarious slopes The only way up or down the dizzying canyons is on foot or riding in a tractor and the grapes themselves are transported in baskets suspended on wire down to the river below Ribeira Sacra is one of only two areas in Spain (Catalunya’s Priorat is the other) that requires this "heroic viticulture," according to Sommelier Journal The terraced vineyards -- some located at an altitude of 656-1,640 feet -- have a great deal to do with why the wines of Ribeira Sacra can be so terroir-driven and delicious terraced slopes are very steep so viticulture and vintaging are difficult; but they also have fine exposures to the sun which make them potentially among the best vineyards in the world according to Julian Jeffs' "The Wines of Spain." MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Amazing Cliff Cities Around the World We recognize our responsibility to use data and technology for good We may use or share your data with our data vendors The Weather Channel is the world's most accurate forecaster according to ForecastWatch, Global and Regional Weather Forecast Accuracy Overview the arrival of autumn marks the end of grape-growing season and the start of grape harvests in the country's wine-producing regions Harvests take weeks of arduous (and back-breaking) labor as producing award-winning wine involves an exhaustive process -- just visit the Ribeira Sacra region in Galicia white Albari\u00F1o and white Godello wines The grape growers of Ribeira Sacra have been the making the climb up the region\u2019s steeply tiered slate bancales which rise up the face of a mountain from the River Sil for 2,000 years. The Romans first carved these terraces to supply wine for their march to the Atlantic who cut vineyards into canyons and precipitous gorges of the Sil and two other rivers: the Mi\u00F1o and the Bibei workers of two wine estates -- the Cruceiro Reixo and Cividade Cellar -- harvest Mencia grapes from these precarious slopes according to the Daily Mail. The only way up or down the dizzying canyons is on foot or riding in a tractor Ribeira Sacra is one of only two areas in Spain (Catalunya\u2019s Priorat is the other) that requires this \\\"heroic viticulture,\\\" according to Sommelier Journal The terraced vineyards -- some located at an altitude of 656-1,640 feet -- have a great deal to do with why the wines of Ribeira Sacra can be so terroir-driven and delicious according to Julian Jeffs' \\\"The Wines of Spain.\\\" Madrid Capital de Moda The ‘Sit down and read 2024’ initiative returns to Madrid for another year An initiative that seeks to promote reading and commerce in local bookstores this year it will have new benches shaped like books spread throughout the city 26 book-shaped benches are placed in different locations in the city neighborhood libraries and the main commercial arteries of the capital are energized One of the large-scale books that pedestrians can sit in is 100 iconic recipes of Madrid with a stop at its markets published by the City Council and which can be downloaded using a QR code engraved on the bench itself The other banks in the campaign are located in the following locations: ‘Sit down to read 2024’ serves as an appetizer for the Madrid Book Fair which will celebrate its 83rd edition between May 31 and June 16 + info Print IF you’ve been looking for those castles in Spain — to sleep in that is — the network of state-owned paradores that crisscrosses the country will fill the bill Established in 1928 at the instigation of King Alfonso XIII to bolster tourism and save historic buildings whose owners could no longer afford their upkeep the paradores have evolved into a collection of 91 diverse where the warring Napoleon once took some R&R I stayed at three paradores that recently opened in historic buildings — Santo Estevo and Monforte de Lemos in the Galicia region in the northwest and Limpias in the Cantabria region near Bilbao in the northeast but they were comfortingly predictable — in this case attractive rooms with roomy baths — a good value Each had identical guestroom amenities — cable TV shampoo and cologne (which I mistook for mouthwash and took a good swig) All three paradores had elevators and air conditioning and each had an attractive restaurant (semi-pricey) with food at a generally high level The single dish that made me want to shout “¡Olé!” was an appetizer at Monforte: six baby artichokes in a sinfully rich prawn cream sauce Staffs were almost invariably courteous and helpful and there was always someone who spoke English But I suspect it’s difficult to keep top-notch help in a parador that closes in the winter which is fortunate because there wasn’t always someone to schlep bags And a quiet dinner in a parador restaurant we passed vineyards and plains dotted with towns with tile-roofed houses and dominated by church towers There was rain too in Ourense as I walked to the train station to pick up a rental car I had a silver SEAT and directions to Luintra and the Parador de Santo Estevo traffic whizzing past me as I juggled the map and the stick shift a sign would appear pointing the way to the parador I was enthralled from the moment I parked by the little church out front and walked through the huge carved stone portal opened in the summer of 2004 after a six-year restoration The result is a dazzling blend of old — Romanesque as do ancient cloisters and 21st century steel and glass (Even the TV remote had a little sticker declaring it had been sanitized for my protection.) The décor was in neutrals A small window overlooked an expanse of forest Nine of the 74 rooms bear the names of bishops who resigned in the 10th and 11th centuries and withdrew to the monastery After the last Benedictine community left in 1836 The north cloister tumbled down and has been replaced by a curtain of glass that reflects the arches and columns of the other cloisters that wrap around the courtyard including the lovely two-story dining room with crimson chairs and vaulted stone ceiling Choosing the fixed-price three-course menu at $31 including “traveling potatoes with octopus.” My first course was equally puzzling — “artichokes with attacked of fungi” (mushrooms) — but very good followed by a nice veal stew and a glass of regional red wine I found wonderful little niches in which to read or just sit enjoying serene vistas of forest and mountains I snapped plenty of pictures of the lovely courtyard with its flowering magnolias Santo Estevo is in the heart of the Ribeira Sacra named for the hermitages established along the “sacred bank” of the Sil River between the 10th and 13th centuries as places for meditation and prayer with rivers (the Sil and the Miño) cutting through canyons The hamlets near Santo Estevo are working people’s villages and not particularly picturesque But within a few miles are glorious drives (By the way — if someone advises that the “road is very bad,” believe it.) I drove to the pier in the nearby village of Loureiro to take the motorized catamaran that plies the Sil but the sheer cliffs framing the olive green water and the waterfalls and terraced vineyards needed no translation is very different in feel from Santo Estevo I freshened up a bit and headed for the dining room an attractive space with high-backed velvet chairs and a raftered ceiling decorated with heraldic banners A woman in regional dress took my order for prawns; entrees ranged from $12.50 to $37 My plan for the following day was to visit the much-admired town of Santiago de Compostela and driving almost 80 miles each way on a Spanish motorway in almost zero visibility did not appeal to me I grabbed an umbrella and walked downhill into the old section of town where I was lucky enough to stumble on the annual medieval fair I found myself mingling with costumed maidens I bought a tapa — ham on peasant bread — and red wine in a pottery cup The rain had scared away the street performers merchants huddled behind sheets of plastic The narrow cobblestone streets were all but deserted A small crowd had gathered where a knight in chain mail was giving archery tips to little boys aiming bows and arrows at a painted target in the loggia that wraps around the courtyard I sat on a velvet settee and took in the beauty of the place with its three-story cloisters and courtyard dominated by an ancient cistern A charmingly costumed young woman at the front desk tried to convince me that I’d enjoy that night’s medieval dinner with entertainment I headed for the parador‘s Doña Catalina cafe and had a sandwich de jamón (ham sandwich) Checking out of Monforte on a rainy Easter morning I had a good two- and three-lane highway almost to myself as I drove to Ourense to turn in my car and catch a train to Bilbao with vistas of los Cañones del Sil and the river Mist hung over cliffs that plunged to the river I had just settled nicely into my train seat when the conductor came by to check my ticket and was decidedly not an express — we made about a dozen stops on the eight-hour journey to Bilbao after stopping two nights — mostly to see the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum — I picked up a rental car and joined the truckers for the 37-mile drive on the busy motorway to Limpias Driving onto the grounds through massive wooden doors set into a stone wall my heart sank at first glimpse of the parador a square gray building onto which was tacked a joltingly modern wing my room was one of 18 in the main building a 19th century palace that once was summer headquarters for King Alfonso XIII’s council It had bright textiles and a large terrace is less elegant than the two other paradores I visited which has a lovely stained-glass window at the landing But the parador has indoor and outdoor pools tennis courts and 14 acres of woodland for strolling The dining room serves regional specialties such as cod and chickpea stew and marinated quail salad I thought I was getting chicken and lobster stew but what came was a piece of blood-rare chicken a nugget of lobster and grilled red peppers I drove a mountain pass through the Soba Valley stopping to photograph a magnificent waterfall I stopped in the tiny town of Ogarrio for a café con leche at the Casa Tomás $13.50 per person at the paradores I visited Paradores are popular with both tourists and Spaniards such as that on the grounds of the Alhambra at Granada Profits generated by the hostelries are reinvested — for preservation or for creation of hotels in areas that attract few tourists has a goal of at least 100 paradores by 2008 the paradores are participating in the countrywide 400th anniversary celebration of the publication of “Don Quixote.” A Don Quixote parador route takes visitors to places pivotal in the life of author Miguel de Cervantes It also traverses landscapes in which Cervantes placed his character none of the paradores is claiming that the elderly knight and his squire slept there connecting service (change of plane) is available on Air France Restricted round-trip fares begin at $780 until Aug 34 (country code for Spain) and the local number Parador de Santo Estevo, 17 miles from Ourense in the Galicia region of northwestern Spain; 988-010-110, https://www.parador.es/english or https://www.paradores-spain.com Beautifully renovated monastery artfully blends old and new Parador de Monforte, at Monforte de Lemos, Galicia; 982-41-84-84, https://www.parador.es/english or https://www.paradores-spain.com Converted monastery and palace on a hilltop site Parador de Limpias, in Limpias, 37 miles from Bilbao in the Cantabria region of northeastern Spain; 942-628-900, https://www.parador.es/english or https://www.paradores-spain.com Extensive wooded grounds surround this converted palace Tourist Office of Spain, Los Angeles; (323) 658-7188, https://www.okspain.org . Or, Tourist Office of Spain, New York, (212) 265-8822, https://www.spain.info Lifestyle Travel & Experiences Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map La Rioja is known for its deep reds with fruity flavours which are predominantly made from the native Tempranillo grape Bodegas Luis Pérez, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain | Photo by Thomas Verbruggen on Unsplash The Galician town of Pontevedra is the best place to base yourself to access the wine regions of the Rías Baixas. An area where four estuarine inlets meet the Atlantic Ocean, it’s a fertile place which has become known for its excellent dry white wines. Floral and fruity with notes of peach and apricot, the wines go well with the region’s quality seafood. One of the best wineries to visit near Pontevedra is Bodega Morgadio Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy Aranda de Duero, Castilla y León Aranda de Duero, España | Photo by Angel Arcalle on Unsplash Dinastia Vivanco is not only one of La Rioja’s best wineries but it’s also a restaurant and excellent wine museum Begin your visit here with a tour of the bodega then browse the museum to learn all about the history of wine and how it’s made End the tour with a visit to the ‘Wine Corner’ where you can taste a total of 14 different wines from the Vivanco collection Why not stop by the restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal to round off your visit If you want somewhere that makes cava (Spain’s answer to Champagne) as well as wine, then head to Cavas Freixenet in Catalunya and today the group owns 18 bodegas in seven countries across the world Visitors can tour the winery on a group tour to discover both the traditional process of cava-making as well as the more modern way using cutting-edge technology Bodegas Ysios, Spain | Photo by Ferran Ventura on Unsplash Another of the famous La Rioja wineries is Bodegas Ysios It too is known not only for its quality wines but for its unique design It was designed by Santiago Calatrava and was created to mirror the undulation of the Cantabrian mountain range that frames it Calatrava also designed the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia Finca Villacreces is situated in the Ribera del Duero wine region along the Golden Mile in the region of Castilla y León ancient vineyards and pine forests and its vineyards cover 110 hectares Wine has been made on the land here for many years but the current winery dates back to 2004 and then was relaunched in 2007 The Villacreces tour costs 12 euros (around US$14) per person and includes cheese and chorizo as well as wine tastings Marques de Riscal Hiribidea, Eltziego, Spain | Photo by Ferran Ventura on Unsplash The winery produces more than three million bottles of red wine per year and can be visited on a guided tour The bodega Rey Fernando de Castilla is located in the south of Spain in the historic centre of Jerez de la Frontera it’s famous for its sherries and white wines which are aged in new French and American oak barrels dry and elegant award-winning wines and sherries and also excellent vinegars The bodega can be visited on a guided tour which lasts one hour and explains the process of sherry-making as well as offering tastings Bodegas López de Heredia is another of the famous wineries in La Rioja which is just as impressive above ground as it is below The oldest parts of the winery are over 140 years old Visit the winery on a guided tour to explore the vast maze of underground caverns filled with barrels The bodega is well known for its Viña Tondonia Codorníu has been linked to a family of winegrowers dating all the way back to the 16th century It is one of the oldest family companies in Spain and one of the oldest in the world Josep Raventós Fatjó made cava for the first time in Spain and the Codorníu brand became forever linked to this most famous of Catalan drinks Then in 1895 Manuel Raventós hired the Modernist architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch to expand and redesign their winery turning it into one of the most spectacular-looking wineries in the country A visit includes a welcome to the Cathedral of Cava an art nouveau tour and an exhibit on the history and heritage of the Codorníu family David Moreno Hernandez / Shutterstock Spain Trips and Tours Planning a trip to beautiful Spain If you want to experience more the gorgeous landscapes and local cities you’re best off booking onto a multi-day trip to make the most of what Spain has to offer Guides & Tips How to Spend the Perfect 24 Hours in Santander Architecture Spain’s Most Impressive Bullrings See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Summer See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in Autumn Sports The Most Epic Hiking Trails in Spain's Sierra Nevada See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in July See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in September See & Do The Best European Cities to Visit in October Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in December Guides & Tips How to Attend a Bullfight in Spain Guides & Tips The Best European Cities to Visit in November Food & Drink The 5 Best Food Markets in Madrid US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd The magic which envelops every part of the Ribeira Sacra is most clearly represented in the variety of festivals celebrated in its different municipalities Carnival and traditional trades and exalting wine and cuisine are pilgrimages: festivals which began as religious and commercial celebrations and which are now excellent excuses to come together and enjoy food Some of these celebrations have been declared Galician Festivals of Tourist Interest such as the Feria do Viño de Amandi (Amandi Wine Fair) in Sober or the Folión de Carros(Cart Festival) in Chantada: a celebration dating back to the Middle Ages which represents the agricultural trades and work carried out in the area The Festa das Fachas de Castelo (Castelo Torch Burning Festival) in Taboada has also been awarded this title seeing locals and visitors build a large torch made of straw before its flames light up the night we have compiled a list of the main festivals celebrated in the different municipalities of the Ribeira Sacra Fiesta de la carne ao caldeiro (Stewed Beef Festival) Fiestas de la Asunción (Assumption of Mary Festival) Magosto de San Martiño (San Martiño Chestnut Festival) Fiesta de la Ternera Gallega (Galician Beef Festival) Fiesta de la cereza y del aceite (Cherry and Olive Oil Festival) Feria del vino de Amandi (Amandi Wine Fair) Fiesta del caldo de huesos (Bone Broth Festival) Fiesta de las Fachas de Castelo(Castelo Torch Burning Festival) Look out for your first newsletter in your 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Madrid In this sports centre you can practise almost any sport you can imagine its facilities occupy more than 70,000 square metres its two 50-metre pools and children's pool attract families and groups of friends that come for a swim with the Four Towers in the background background or to cool off in the shade Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! facebooktwitterspotifytiktokAbout us Contact us Time Out Worldwide the breakaway stayed away and EF Education-Nippo’s Magnus Cort earned a hat trick of 2021 Vuelta a España wins on Friday Cort joins Fabio Jakobsen and race leader Primož Roglič on three stage victories and now has six career Vuelta stage triumphs He also has the most Grand Tour wins for a Dane with seven You can watch the 76th Vuelta a España at FloBikes Stage 19 was front loaded with climbs–a Cat After that the roads continued to bump along A mass gallop, a reduced bunch sprint or a breakaway in Monforte de Lemos for today's tricky #LaVuelta21 stage 19? pic.twitter.com/F5WVwaYbRK — Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) September 3, 2021 it was a route sure to elicit a big breakaway and sure enough 18 cats pounced before the first climb Alto da Sela d’Entorcisa Over the categorized ascents three different fellows–Cort Fabio Aru and Mikaël Cherel–took the maximum KOM points but none of them were in the blue polka dot running Friday was Primož Roglič’s 31st career day in the Vuelta’s red leader’s jersey ?? #LaVuelta21 The red jersey is still shining in the sun. ? pic.twitter.com/EykcVV3aOO — Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) September 3, 2021 DSM’s labours at the front of the peloton reduced the gap The proximity of the bunch caused the escapees to start attacking one another and the break split in two It was then BikeExchange’s turn to toil in pursuit A crash midway down the peloton brought 10th place Louis Meintjes to grief poised to take his first Grand Tour top-10 since 2017 The tailwind made if a difficult catch the remaining septet and with 5 km to go it was clear that it wasn’t going to happen Cort’s teammate Lawson Craddock led under the kite Cort followed and then passed the American on his left side Saturday’s penultimate stage returns to the high mountains with five categorized climbs in the latter half of 202 km and a Cat Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" There are many reasons why we might be spending more time at home this time of year Winter is Netflix and blanket season (or Amazon Prime we still yearn to travel and discover the most beautiful corners of the region There are dozens of films shot in Galicia that allow you to see the region from the comfort of your own sofa get out of the house and visit one of these ten film destinations Just because the carnival is over doesn’t mean that the party stops At least not for the characters in A Esmorga a film based on the novel of the same name by Eduardo Blanco Amor live a series of adventures and misadventures on a night out on the streets of Ourense which in the film and novel goes by the fictional name of Auria The book and film have become so famous that there is even a walking tour of the filming locations and emblematic landmarks such as As Burgas are just some of the corners of Ourense that can be seen on the screen But the capital is not the only town in the wider province of Ourense that appears in the movie locations were chosen such as the Pazo of Tor where both indoor and outdoor scenes were filmed Ourense can lay claim to being the film set of Galicia documentaries and even video clips are set in and around the streets and surroundings of its towns One of the latest to join the long list of films shot in the province was Cu�ados This comedy was released in 2021 and is set in the world of wine cellars And what better backdrop than the stunning landscapes of O Ribeiro San Cibrao das Vi�as and the capital itself were also some of the locations where the actors Xos� A Award-winning director Isabel Coixet also found the inland province of Galicia to be the ideal place to film Elisa y Marcela A Netflix production that tells the story of the first marriage between two women in Spain one of them had to pass herself off as a man A story about love and the fight for LGTBI rights that found its perfect setting in Ourense Although most of the story between Elisa and Marcela actually took place in A Coru�a the teachers’ school where the protagonists fall in love is in fact the monastery of San Salvador one of the jewels of Celanova’s rich heritage Other locations in the province that appear on the screen include Pazos de Arenteiro and Moldes you feel like visiting the places where the real story took place why not treat yourself to a guided tour of the city of A Coru�a where the Corcubi�n guesthouse where they spent their wedding night was located If we had to name one director who was in love with Ourense Despite being a native of Castile-La Mancha the filmmaker felt a close affinity with Galicia and Little surprise then that Galicia served as the setting for more than one of his films This is indeed the case with Butterfly (La lengua de las mariposas) The Blind Sunflowers (Los girasoles ciegos) and All Is Silence (Todo es silencio) The director’s first big commitment to the region took place in 1998 when he filmed Butterfly (La lengua de las mariposas) it portrays the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the dictatorship through the eyes of a boy from a Galician village who sees how his teacher is repressed by the regime The streets of the historic town centre of Allariz were used to recreate the rural Galicia of 1936 But not everything remained in the picturesque town Some of the scenes were filmed in other parts of the province of Ourense and in the city of Pontevedra the last scene is set in Plaza da Le�a and calle Figueroa Another big name from the world of cinema who chose Galicia as their set is Pedro Almod�var The director filmed some the scenes of Julieta in the municipalities of Ares and Mugardos decides to write her story for her daughter This starting point is the seafaring Galicia of the 1980s the Spanish director chose several locations in the R�as Altas Mugardos harbour or the Puerta del Sol in Ares were some of the locations chosen by Almod�var its narrow streets and its Indian-style buildings enchanted the director And there must be something truly special about this small enclave of brightly coloured houses that serve as the backdrop for the Ares estuary as the presence of cameras and spotlights has become an almost daily occurrence Speaking of places that are often used as movie sets we would be remiss not to mention the beach of As Furnas Located between the estuaries of Muros e Noia and Arousa it is one of the key settings in The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro) the film that earned Alejandro Amen�bar an Oscar a Golden Globe and 14 Goyas and thrust him into the limelight The director wanted to capture the story of Ram�n Sampedro the first person to request euthanasia in Spain in the places where the real events unfolded And it was on the cliffs of the Porto do Son beach where the protagonist suffered the accident that left him quadriplegic the villages of Abelendo and O Castelo were used to film the outside of his house Portos�n and the beach of Seiras were some of the locations chosen by Amen�bar and which today form part of a route running through Porto do Son that made it to Hollywood back in 2004 The filming of The Sea Inside was much like winning the lottery as it benefitted the whole area lying between the two estuaries the images of the food market were filmed in Noia while in Ribeira scenes were filmed in the port of Insuela and at the Dunas de Corrubedo sand dunes The mountain of A Curota in A Pobra or the town centre of Boiro were other locations selected in and around the Arousa estuary While the beach of As Furnas first rose to fame with the story of Ram�n Sampedro it became known to the younger generations with Fari�a a series focused on the origins of drug trafficking in Galicia And the same theme serves as the backdrop in Eye for an Eye a film by Paco Plaza that tells the story of a retired drug dealer who befriends a nurse who looks after him in a care home his sons bite off more than they can chew as they take over the family clan and try to bring the old capo back into the fray the home of great drug trafficking clans such as Los Charlines and Sito Mi�anco was one of the chosen settings for the film a seafood treatment plant in Cambados and the beach of As Sinas in Vilanova while the plot takes place in the R�as Baixas most of the scenes were filmed in the city of A Coru�a the Calvo Sotelo Institute and the San Amaro cemetery are just some examples While the Arousa estuary is shadowed by the stigma of drug trafficking the Vigo estuary has long been associated with the industrial reconversion it was chosen as the setting for Mondays in the Sun a film about the plight of workers affected by factory lay-offs at the end of the 20th century Although the name of the city is not explicitly mentioned in the film and the plot could easily have happened to pretty much any worker in any industrial town the exterior locations were shot in and around Vigo The first example of this can be found in the poster for the film Javier Bardem and Luis Tosar sitting in the sun on the boat that connects the city with Cangas the shipyards and the neighbourhoods of Teis Coia and O Berb�s joined the list of locations But to make a complete tour of the shoot locations you will also need to head to Pontevedra and more precisely While the most dramatic stories of coastal Galicia have to do with the sea one of the tales from inland Galicia stars a natural element caused by human hand: fire Forest fires capable of ravaging huge swathes of the landscape were the theme chosen by Oliver Laxe for Fire Will Come (O que arde) the film that catapulted him to the Goya Awards The director focused on the mountains of Lugo when telling the story of an arsonist who returns to his village after being released from prison Most of the locations are found within the county of Os Ancares more precisely the municipalities of Cervantes going out in search of the places where the film was shot brings us closer to the rural world the characters were played by local residents who won the Goya for best new actress at the age of 84 Now that we are in the throes of the Xacobeo Holy Year It might not be a specific location or so extensive that visiting it requires an actual pilgrimage along the film routes but there are numerous films — Galician Spanish and foreign — that take place in this setting a film starring Martin Sheen and directed by his son Emilio Est�vez that helped to popularise The Way across the pond The film tells the story of a man who decides to make a pilgrimage with the ashes of his son who died while on one of the stages of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela Almost all the scenes were filmed along different stretches of the French Way in and around the cathedral of Santiago and in Mux�a