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webcamsdeasturias.comWithin the typical character of the Asturian coast, Luanco stands out as one of its most picturesque towns . With a distinctly maritime character, the capital of the municipality of Gozón, in the heart of the central Asturian coast, combines the rugged Cantabrian flavor at nearby Cabo Peñas with the elegance of its beaches and its charming town 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?
Luanco boasts two beaches within its town limits : one bearing the same name and the other, Playa de la Ribera. The former is a major tourist attraction, with a charming beachfront lined with buildings, a legacy of the early bourgeois settlements and their custom-built villas. A breakwater encloses this bay. A stroll along the beach stretches from El Gayo (the port) to the Cabildo (Church of Santa María). Playa de la Ribera , the second beach, opens onto the sea near the pier. It offers stunning views, with boats and ships anchored in the distance and Isla del Carmen in the background. At high tide, people often fish from the seawall.
The port of Luanco is the heart of this town . In the Middle Ages, it served as a haven for a large fishing fleet dedicated to whaling. Later, they fished for bonito, sardines, mackerel, monkfish, conger eel, and other species. Today, the port is home to the shellfish boats that catch spider crabs, velvet crabs, lobsters, and barnacles, which daily supply the menus of restaurants and the tapas of the cider houses, which are plentiful in the area surrounding the port.
The Bonito Gastronomic Festival takes place in early July . There is a wide variety of dishes featuring this star ingredient that can be enjoyed throughout the summer, during the fishing season. Bonito is the most typical product of the Luanco coast; in the past, its abundance led to the development of a significant 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 captivated by its narrow streets lined with cider houses and restaurants, but also by a rich heritage that dots its squares and hidden corners. The Church of Santa María , dating back to the 17th century, is a Baroque building that creates a unique scene by the sea. It has an elongated nave and a robust bell tower. Inside, we discover seven altars and a beautifully crafted main altarpiece. Outside, the grand Chapter House, supported by columns on pedestals, stands out, surrounding the church. The church houses the image of the Holy Christ of Succor, whose feast day is celebrated every February 5th, commemorating the miracle that occurred on that day in 1776: through his intercession, fishing boats from Luanco were saved from shipwreck during a storm. Other architectural gems include the noble house of Menéndez de la Pola , also from the 17th century, and the Clock Tower , located in the square of the same name and built in 1705.
Luanco also boasts a substantial museum dedicated, as one might expect, to the sea. The building houses the Maritime Museum of Asturias ; it resembles an enormous ship, but also a submarine, a giant tin can, a net from which there is no escape, a coral paradise, a hook that lures us in. It is, moreover, a museum with its own distinct identity: the oldest museum in Asturias. It was founded in 1948 thanks to significant public support.
Maritime Museum of Asturias
To fit the sea into a museum, you can't do things by halves; it's best to capture it in all its dimensions and… Read more
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
