The word Cudillero refers to the collected form of its development. It has its origin in an organic analogy, that of the elbow. In the XNUMXth century it was called Codillero. The vision of this scene folded in on itself and painted in the sea, has well deserved some good cinematographic sequences. Director Jose Luis Garci took charge of this in his award-winning "Start over", the first Oscar of Spanish cinema. If you want to better understand the photogenicity of the place, you can initially walk through the route of its viewpoints: The walk to the lighthouse, La Garita, La Atalaya, El Pico ...
Cudillero: fishing village
From the heights it is soon understood that Cudillero is a town born and developed around fishing activity. It had the largest fleet in Asturias and one of the most important in the Cantabrian Sea. A scene that is still frequently repeated is that of the boats arriving at a sheltered port, which, like the town, is collected and admirable. Nearby we find a modern fish market, and next to it a small shipyard and new industrial-artisan structures that are concerned with obtaining productive and commercial performance from what the hooks achieve.
Chopping in Cudillero is easy. If you prefer: tapas. And not just anything its inhabitants, known as «Pixuets»They are excellent gourmets of the sea and pass for "gourmets" when selecting the dish, if possible: a good fish. It should be noted that around the culinary excellence of monkfish, known here as pixín, a new analogy arises with the name of its people. Pixín - Pixueto. Man and fish. The man with a demanding palate; the fish, the best ever caught.
There has always been a small rivalry between the inhabitants of the upper neighborhoods and those closest to the port. In the one of Cai, in the high zone, live the caízos that traditionally lived from agricultural work. In the lower part, Cuideiru, inhabit the pixuetos concerned about fishing and lately about tourism who comes to the village to visit it and to sit at a table on a terrace in the town square.
We are in the most spacious area of the elbow. At these tables we come face to face with the most exquisite of the sea, with the right touch of the tradition of its cuisine: hake from the skewer, the aforementioned pixín (monkfish), sea bream, rock fish and seafood from the area, spider crabs, lobsters, barnacles And a long etcetera. As a characteristic dish is the curadillo: a fish from the family of sharks that heals in the air and is cooked in the traditional way. Cudillero and its sea offer the best dishes and the most memorable table toasts in the midst of a picturesque environment.
What we shouldn't miss in Cudillero
For those who want to attend to other types of reasons to visit this town, do not worry, there are also few that are sought. Stands out above all the town of El Pito, Where is he Palacios Set Selgas, popularly known as the Asturian Versailles. Apart from a dreamy decoration: tapestries, clocks, furniture, inside you will discover an impressive collection of works of art, with oils by Titian, Goya and El Greco. Also in El Pito is the Church of Jesus Nazareno, from the 19th century, which preserves in its crypt the oldest pre-Romanesque altar in Spain (8th century).
In Cudillero itself, highlight its two most important buildings: La gothic style parish church, and the Chapel of the Humilladero, your oldest property.
If we had to describe in brief lines the municipality to which Cudillero gives its name, we will begin by saying that almost the entire coastline of the council, from the Peat of the Dueñas (declared a Natural Monument) up to the limit with the council of Valdés, is included in the Regional Network of Protected Natural Spaces, under the name of Protected Landscape of the Western Coast. In the territory there is an appreciable contrast between the coast and the interior. The coastline is dominated by high cliffs (with an average height of 80 meters): Cabo Vidio and its lighthouse (in this case with heights of more than 100 meters), Punta Borona, Punta de Malperro, Cabo de la Concha de Artedo, etc. The interior of the council is mountainous although less steep than the rest of the region. The Peñas de Cuetu mark the roof of the council, the 786 meters of altitude.
Cabo Vidio
The powerful Cantabrian Sea has carved this work of art on the Costa Verde, within the Protected Landscape of the…
In the breaks of the cliffs inlets like La Arquina, or several beautiful beaches like Aguilar, the Shell of Artedo, Oleiros, San Pedro, La Cueva, Vallina, El Silencio, Destillo or Ballota. On this coast there are also sometimes sharp little islands of film.
The beach of Silencio or Gaviero
Its name says it all, Playa del Silencio is a silent place where the cliffs close in on each other...
You can discover the main attractions of this municipality in the following report:
What to see in the council of Cudillero. Coast and brañas.
There are many tourist attractions in a municipality like Cudillero, but the first thing we will do is…
Say finally that on June 29 they are celebrated the festivities of L'Amuravela. A date with Asturian sarcasm. In them a preacher makes a relation in pixueto (speaks of Cudillero) of the events of the year in an ironic and critical way.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
