The council of Ribera de Arriba is part of the Central Mountains of Asturias. In Ribera de Arriba you have two types of landscapes, one of impressive natural beauty and the other more industrial in its makeup reminding you of its mining heritage and long industrial history.
The Central Mountain range offer a wealth of Natural and Protected Spaces, leafy Beech and Oak forests, green mountain pastures, narrow valleys and large meandering rivers.
This natural beauty is juxtaposed with examples of past and present mining activites and Slack-heaps, mine entrances, Headframes, worker’s housing, etc dot the landscape. This is a real cornucopia for those who have an interest in Industrial architecture and landscapes. Mining has moulded Asturias and plays a significant part in her story so it is worth while learning about this history as it will help to understand the local community a bit more.
Ribera de Arriba is home to a wealth of stone monuments, megalithic structures, necropolis and old settlements. The Route of the Silver cross the territory of Ribera de Arriba.
The Route of the Silver is Roman in origin and crosses the peninsula from north to south starting in Gijon, Asturias, and finishing in Seville, Andalucía. This was built to facilitate commerce and legion movement. After that, the route was mainly used by shepherds who took their livestock to the greener pastures of Asturias during the summer
The County of Ribera de Arriba is an extensive valley running alongside the Nalon River and very close to the city of Oviedo, the capital of Asturias.
Due to the proximity to the river one of the main constructions in the area is a very important example of the local industrial heritage, the thermal power station of Soto de Ribera.
This area has many small villages that continue to use traditional methods of construction, specifically the use of wood and stone in the building of the “horreo” or Asturian food stores which are raised wooden structures for storing grain and other produce. The main attraction in the town of Bueñu is the well explained route of the “Horreos”. The high number and diversity of these popular grain stores allow visitors to view “horreos” from all ages between the 16th and the 20th centuries, with examples of the three symbolic decorative styles: the Villaviciosa, the Carreño and the Allande.
Other areas of cultural interest in the area are the San Juan de Mata Chapel, San Nicolas de Tellego Church, Remains of the Doña Urraca Castle and Soto Castle, Hevia Ponte’s house and San Antonio Chapel.
Here you can enjoy many walking Routes such as Bueñu-Peñerues Route, the Busiellu Mount Route or the route of Asturian Barns in Bueñu.
The other main attraction in Ribera de Arriba is the local gastronomy offering a traditional Asturian fare of Stews, Asturian reared beef, fish from the rivers, cheeses and Asturian desserts.
More info: Ribera de Arriba Tourism
If you want more information contact Where is Asturias at info@whereisasturias.com
Images supplied by Ayto de Ribera de Arriba, Consorcio Montana Central and Turismo Asturias: F. Geijo, C. Salvo and Camilo Alonso.
