Rioja is wine and road; and also much more. It is one of the Spanish regions best known internationally for the quality of its wines. Another of its won glories is for being an essential part of the Camino de Santiago, which is a World Heritage Site. It is a land of more important routes such as the one to Santiago through the Basque Interior, the Ignatian, and the wine and fish route.
In addition to the road, in Rioja the monasteries of San Millán de Yuso and Suso are universal heritage. The primitive monastery received pilgrims since the 6th century to venerate the relics of the saint. In them were found the famous Glosas Emilianenses, one of the first documents written in Spanish. And the Benedictine monk Gonzalo de Berceo, the first poet in the Spanish language, studied in this monastery.
If you come with your children, a fun option for them, in the La Rioja Biosphere Reserve, are the 13 ichnite sites. It is the region in the world that houses the largest number of dinosaur footprints. Both these, as well as the cultural landscape of wine and vineyards of La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa, are candidates to be part of the UNESCO heritage.
Other beings and events have also left their marks in the history of Rioja. Many visitors are surprised to find the dolmens, places of funerary burials of the first Riojans. Or archaeological sites of ancient Celtiberian settlements.
Better known, although not enough, are the traces of Romans, Visigoths, Muslims, Jews,… who together with the former make Rioja not only a place of passage, of paths, but also a place of stay, of meetings. . Since the Middle Ages, there have been legends and traditions linked to religion and history, such as the burning of witches, celebrations on stilts, or the miracle of the hen and the rooster of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, among many others, which I could tell you.
There is a Rioja beyond the roads and vineyards, which is also expressed in various axes of fine arts; especially in cinema, literature, music and architecture. Some of its best exponents are the photographer and documentary filmmaker Rocandio, the screenwriter Rafael Azcona, the international tenor Miguel Olano, or the unknown Würth Museum brings us closer to contemporary art within an industrial space.
Whether in Haro, Ezcaray, Laguardia, Briones, Labastida, San Vicente de la Sonsierra, Logroño, Nájera, Calahorra, Alfaro, Arnedo, a castle, a town, a vineyard, a monastery… or on any road, in Rioja you drink a good wine. However, by listening to its stories, its legends, its culture,… you will discover that Rioja is more than wine and road, it is a meeting point.