At present, Cangas de Onís has become a important tourism center, thanks to its scenic beauty, its history and art, its gastronomy... above all promoting rural and active tourism in which hunting, fishing, mountaineering, adventure sports, etc. can be combined.
The main population centers are Covadonga, Villanueva, Corao, Labra, Tornín, Mestas de Con, Intriago, Zardón, Margolles and Triongo. It limits to the north with the councils of Ribadesella and Parres, to the south with the province of Leon, to the east with the councils of Llanes and Onís and to the west with Parres and Amieva.
Roman bridge and Covadonga
In the council there were marked paleolithic settlements. In rock art they emphasize the caves of Buxu, los Azules and la de la Güelga. However the emblem of the city
is the call Roman bridge. Its actual construction was during the High Middle Ages, probably in the s. XIII. With its famous banked arch and two other minor arches that are unequal. The bridge could well be a reconstruction of a previous one that would date back to Roman times. What is certain is that the layout of the Roman road that linked the towns of Lucus Asturum (near Oviedo) and Portus Victoriae (current Santander) was based on it.
In the 8th century it starts the reconquest of Spanish territory from this town. After the victory of Covadonga in 722, Cangas became a small court and Pelayo established the town as his capital: first of the Kingdom of Asturias and later of all the territories that he was conquering. This is why Cangas de Onís is considered the first capital of Spain.
The Monastery of San Pedro de Villanueva and a presumed primitive temple or chapel in Covadonga They are attributed to the reign of Alfonso I (Pelayo's son-in-law) with whom the Asturian kingdom was consolidated. Ancient chroniclers maintained that the cult of La Santina is older than it may seem, and that already in Pelayo's time the Virgin was highly regarded and had a decisive influence on the Christian victory. Since then, she has had a cave all to herself in the surroundings of the basilica. Carved out of the rock, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful spots in Covadonga (etymologically Covadonga comes from the Latin expression "Cova dominica" which means "Cave of the Lady") and a few thousand pilgrims come to it every year in search of some extra grace for their lives. The current basilica was designed following a Neo-Romanesque aesthetic, and was built between 1877 and 1901 with a beautiful limestone in a pinkish hue.
Covadonga, the sanctuary of Asturias
Covadonga and its surroundings is one of the cardinal points of Asturias. A sacred and beautiful latitude to the… Read more
Picos de Europa
The twentieth century begins with two important events for Cangas de Onís, the granting of a city title on the one hand and the creation of the Covadonga Mountain National Park (1918), on the other. The Today Picos de Europa National Park It is one of the most beautiful places on the continent, with an overwhelmingly karstic landscape, and includes gorges and gorges, immaculate rivers and valleys and large native forest masses.
The peaks of Europe
In 1918, the first national park in Spain was declared in the Covadonga Mountain, today the National Park of… Read more
The three massifs of this park: the western massif (El Cornión), the central massif (Los Urrieles), and the eastern massif (Andara), are physically delimited by the gorges of the salmon rivers Sella, Cares, Duje and Deva. The western massif, with its highest point, Peña Santa de Castilla (2.596 m.), is the largest and most varied of the three, and is particularly appropriate for hiking. The Enol and Ercina lakes are located in this massif.
Lakes of Covadonga
Climbing the Lagos de Covadonga has merit, especially if you do it by bicycle. They are 12 kilometers ... Read more
Ascent to the Lakes and guided route
Water, nature, fun and sports for everyone: children, adults and pets. A sporting and recreational experience that millions of people have already experienced…. Read more
Excursions
A multitude of paths and routes suitable for hiking start from the capital of Canguesa, which is an excellent base camp to dedicate ourselves to good walks.
There are a few, close to the capital of the municipality and that are suitable for all audiences.
Dobra River, San Vicente Pot
Here we propose an affordable, simple route, without major unevenness, but no less attractive for that reason… Read more
La Vega de Orandi
We set out to make this evocative route of the holy place of Covadonga, near the cave of La Santina, ... Read more
Route to the Cruz de Priena
In Asturias the cross was always a highly respected sign, especially in mountain towns. In the … Read more
The forest of Pome
Go into one of the most emblematic forests of the Picos de Europa It's an excursion... Read more
Gastronomy
Cangas de Onís is a clear example of good food in Asturias. The privileged nature of this municipality, abundant pastures for cattle, salmon rivers, well-stocked orchards, corrals with eggs from home and "pitos de caleya", and its historic craftsmanship in the kitchen, around certain productions of sausages, meats roxas, cheeses, legumes, vegetables, has managed to improve the added value of the already good raw materials of this land. Quality products that are exposed every Sunday in one of the most famous markets in all of Asturias.
Asturian veal
The two autochthonous races, Asturiana de los valles and Asturiana de la Montañas, are large calves ... Read more
The salmon of Asturias
There are biological investigations who maintain that the Asturian salmon is the oldest in… Read more
The Gamoneu cheese
The Cornión, a mountain massif of extraordinary beauty, hides the gastronomic route of cheese from… Read more
Furthermore, the high density of cider houses and restaurants in the capital is the icing on the cake of this gastronomic pyramid, the culmination of his culinary passion, genuine and essentially Asturian, with dishes as famous as the following:
Asturian bean stew
The most universal dish in Asturias is fabada. An abundant and popular dish, a source of energy on… Read more
Rice with pitu caleya recipe
In the peasant houses they raised chickens and free-range roosters for the big family celebrations ... Read more
Cachopo of Asturias
Cachopo is an Asturian preparation, a basic dish of its gastronomy that abounds throughout its… Read more
Rice pudding recipe
It is one of the best-known desserts in Asturian gastronomy and we are going to explain how to make it to... Read more
Accommodation in Cangas de Onis
Pioneer in the development of rural tourism in Asturias, this municipality welcomes us with hospitality; with hotels, rural houses, apartments... very comfortable, where we can stay with all the guarantees.
Accommodations in Cangas de Onis
The best rural houses, apartments and hotels in Cangas de Onís. Offers to enjoy in a unique environment. Accommodations of…… Read more
Adventure activities
All of Cangas is a privileged setting for activities in nature, and for this reason its capital is the seat of numerous active tourism agencies that will surprise us with their proposals for all audiences.
Canyoning in Asturias: rivers and mountains
The sport of adventure in Asturias has a rising ally: The cliff, tight place, sometimes… Read more
Canyoning Baptism
Very simple, ideal for families with children or for groups that above all want fun. It is a ravine with slides and jumps into small pools…. Read more
Descent of the Sella
Water, nature, fun and sports for everyone: children, adults and pets. A sporting and recreational experience that millions of people have already experienced…. Read more
Trekking Picos de Europa 5 days
Tour the 3 massifs, sleeping in small hotels and in the mythical refuge of Collado Jermoso and enjoying the rich gastronomy of the area…. Read more
Festivals and events in Cangas de Onís
Cangas de Onís has a wide repertoire of festivals and fairs that are celebrated in the different towns of the municipality. The most notable is the extensive calendar of fairs and competitions related to livestock and agriculture.
The interest is San Antonio festivities, patron saint festivities celebrated in the capital in the month of June, and the Pastor's feast which take place in the same Vega de Enol at the end of July, coinciding with Santiago Apóstol. It is also worth highlighting a first-rate sporting event such as «The Classic Cycle Tour to Covadonga» which is always held in spring and is already more than three decades old. Also noteworthy is the “Ruta de la Reconquista”, a half marathon with an urban and interurban circuit, on asphalt and approved by the RFEA, which offers participants an extraordinary landscape.
In Covadonga, on September 8, the anniversary is commemorated Day of the Santina, which in turn is a regional festival.
Festivities of San Antonio 2024
The patron saint festivities of San… Read more
The Pastor's Party
Shepherding is an immemorial job, as old as pastures and shepherds - accustomed to watching over... Read more
Classic Lakes of Covadonga 2024
This June 1, 2024… Read more
36th Route of the Reconquest
The XXXVI Half Marathon Route… Read more
Fairs and markets
Sunday market of Cangas de Onís
Today, the Cangas mercau is similar in more than one way to that of two hundred years ago. It follows … Read more
· San Antón Fair, 17 January (Corao).
· Lanar and Cabrío contest, March 12 (Cangas de Onís).
· Spring Fair, 23 April (Cangas de Onís).
· Ferion of Corao, 26 May (Corao).
· Autumn Fair, 12 October (Cangas de Onís).
· Sample Asturian Mountain Race, November 5 (Corao).
Gastronomic Festivals
· Casina Beef Days, variable in May or June.
· Gastronomic days of the Sella (salmon and products from the garden) in June.
· Cheese exhibition contest, 12 in October.
Information office of Incatur: C / Jardines del Ayuntamiento, 1. tno. 985 94 73 09
House of Culture: C / La Cárcel, 13. tno. 985 84 86 01
Town Hall: Avda.de Covadonga s / n. tno. 985 84 80 43
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
