Within the typical of the Asturian coast, Luanco stands out as one of its most picturesque villas. With a strictly marine idiosyncrasy, the capital of the municipality of Gozón, in the epicenter of the central Asturian coast, combines the flavor of the most rugged Cantabrian in the near Cabo Peñas, with the slenderness of its beaches and its secluded urban center.
Luanco: sailor flavor
All these inducements continue to survive when the summer and its vacationers say goodbye to beaches and terraces, leaving Luanco with less people but also with more freedom so that occasional visitors admire its enveloping seafront, taste its seafood menu or enjoy the waves alone breaking on the walls of the dock.
How many beaches does Luanco have?
Two beaches Luanco has in its urban area: one that bears the same name and the Ribera beach. The first is one of the main attractions for tourists, with a first line of charming buildings, derived from the first bourgeois settlements and their custom-made chalets. A breakwater closes this bay. We can walk from the Gayo (the port) to the Cabildo (Church of Santa María). La Ribera beach, the second beach, opens to the sea near the pier. It enjoys unbeatable views, with the boats and boats anchored in the distance and the Isla del Carmen in the background. When there is high tide, people tend to fish in its waters from the wall.
Port de Luanco is the nerve center of this town. In the Middle Ages it served as a shelter for a large fishing fleet that was dedicated to whale fishing. After the bonito, sardine, xarda, pixín, conger eel ... Today in the port shellfish boats dock that catch spider crabs, crabs, lobsters or barnacles, and that feed daily the restaurant menus and the tapas of the cider houses, very abundant in the surroundings of the port itself.
At the beginning of July are held Gastronomic Days of Bonito. There is a wide range of dishes with this protagonist that can be savored throughout the summer, while the coast lasts. The bonito is the most typical product of the Luancan coasts; in past times the abundance of this supposed the birth of an important canning industry.
Abound bottles of cider, periwinkles (small sea snails), the sea urchin (sea urchin), clams ... the culinary knowledge of the town also specializes in rice dishes and paellas great. Local, many with sea views, are an ideal place, a new kind of "fusion restaurants" that combine the sensations of the palate with the view.
The marañuelas of Luanco
Its shape is inspired by the sea knots and there are testimonies of marañuelas as early as the XNUMXth century. They are also made in the nearby town of Candás, but they are different as they contain whole eggs, which makes them a little softer. They are a very rich and traditional sweet that sailors already took to the high seas, being able to enjoy them for their long duration.
In Luanco we are surprised by its streets full of cider houses and restaurants, but also a rich heritage that splashes squares and corners. The Church of Santa Maria, whose construction dates from the seventeenth century, is a Baroque building that makes up a unique photograph at the foot of the sea. It has an elongated nave and a robust bell tower. Inside we discover seven altars and a major altarpiece of excellent workmanship. Outside, the great Cabildo that surrounds the temple stands out, supported by columns on pedestal. The church shelters the image of the Santísimo Cristo del Socorro, whose feast is repeated every February 5 recalling the miracle that occurred on that day in 1776: through his intercession, a fishing boat from Luanco was freed from sinking in the middle of a gale. Other architectural gems are the noble house of Menéndez de la Pola, also from the XNUMXth century, or Clock Tower, located in the square of the same name and built in 1705.
Luanco also has a dense museum dedicated, how could it be otherwise, to the sea. A property that is headquarters of the Maritime Museum of Asturias; like a huge ship, but also like a submarine, giant can of preserves, a network of which you can not escape, a paradise of corals, a hook that makes us itch. It is also a museum with its own name: the dean of the Asturian museums. It was founded in 1948 thanks to an outstanding popular participation.
Maritime Museum of Asturias
To put the sea in a museum you don't have to be small, it is better to take it in all its dimensions and...
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
