The town of Colombres in Ribadedeva council was awarded with the “Exemplary Town of Asturias Award” in 2015. This is an award given by the “Princess of Asturias Foundation” and is delivered in person the by the King and Queen of Spain. The award is conferred onto the town, village, population centre, scenic area or group of people in the Principality of Asturias that have stood out in a notable way in “defending and conserving its natural or environmental setting, its historical, cultural or artistic heritage, or in the carrying out of outstanding communal works or other such displays of solidarity”.
The council of Ribadedeva borders with the County of Cantabria. Its main town Colombres is very beautiful and it is full of very elegant colonial houses. Ribadedeva is located at the East of Asturias being very popular for tourism because of its privileged location between the magnificent Picos de Europa and beautiful sandy beaches.
Asturias suffered large scale emigration at the end of the nineteen century and the beginning of the twenty century to America, especially Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and the US. Once the emigrants earned money and success in their new home they didn’t forget their roots and decided to build magnificent houses to show their new status as rich men. This very distinctive and characteristic architecture was almost always complemented with ornate large gardens.
You can find other examples of this style of architecture in the splendid family vaults and tombs at the cemeteries of the area. Many of these returning emigrants have acted as patrons for the town communities by financing roads, public lighting, water drainage, the building of schools and bringing in teachers. One of the houses has been converted into the Emigrant Museum where you can find out more about the stories behind the walls of these fine country homes.
Ribadedeva is also of great importance for the Cave Art of El Pindal declared a UNESCO Woldwide Heritage site with a stunning location at the top of spectacular cliffs.
The Route of Santiago meets at Ribadedeva by the “Northern Route” which runs along the Atlantic coast joining the small fishing villages along to the Cantabrian Sea.
Ribadedeva is situated at the centre of the triangle of the Picos de Europa, the River Deva and a stunning coastline so you can enjoy nature at its best and practice all kinds of sports such as surfing, canoeing, trekking, mountain biking, archery, canyoning, etc.
You can also visit in Ribadedeva the cliffs of San Emetrio or go and relax at the amazing beaches of the East of Asturias such as the Beach of La Franca or the Beach of Mendia which is stunning but quite difficult to access. The area also has the largest Holm oak forest in Asturias.
The Gastronomy in Ribadedeva is traditional Asturias based in casseroles, Asturian reared beef, fish from the rivers or the sea, shellfish, organic vegetables and traditional desserts. You’ll also find cheeses such as the very popular Cabrales Cheese, Gamoneu or Beyos.
A very nice event in Colombres is the International Classical Motorbike festival.
More info: Ribadedeva Tourist Office
If you want more information contact Where is Asturias at info@whereisasturias.com
Images supplied by Tomás Fano, Ayuntamiento de Ribadedeva and Turismo de Asturias: Arnaud Spani and José Suárez.
