O Barco de Valdeorras
Roman gold mine of “Las Médulas”
Just 20 km from the hotel you will find the largest open-pit gold mine in the entire Roman Empire. Declared by UNESCO World Heritage Site and Natural monument, it was chosen in 2016 as one of the ten most impressive natural places of Spain. Las Médulas is an ideal place to visit on a weekend or on a three-day holidays. You can tour them by car, horseback, bike or foot, being the routes suitable for all publics. Three things stand out mainly in Las Médulas: The paths that run through the archeological area, the viewpoints with its spectacular landscapes and the caves. It is advisable, first of all, to visit your archaeological classroom for more information and to see the options to visit Las Médulas.Baroque Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de las Ermitas
National Monument, located midway between Viana do Bolo and A Rua. Its façade was built between 1713 and 1726 by Juan Martínez Pita. The Via Crucis was built in 1730 and consisting of 14 chapels containing 62 statues. Of great tourist attraction, it stands out for its celebrations of Easter Week, especially the Via Crucis, in which it crosses the stations that go from the sanctuary to the place of Cruceiro distant from each other approximately 1 km.Monastery of San Miguel de Xagoaza - O Barco
The set of Xagoaza has its origin in the XII-XIII centuries, which is when the Church of San Miguel dates back, made in Romanesque style. The sober monastery is posterior (XVIII century) and was built with masonry, mixed with red stone typical of Valdeorras in the interior cloister. The environment of the native forest surrounding this space and the vineyards, as well as beautiful and placid are extremely cared for.Natural Park of the Sierra de la Encina de la Lastra
Located in the northeast of the province of Ourense, in the municipality of Rubiá, Valdeorras region. It has a surface of 3151.67 ha and an average altitude of 684 m. It is a limestone valley with steep slopes and cliffs in which Mediterranean forests are installed. Area of special interesting fauna, in particular for its populations of birds of prey, among which highlights the presence of the Royal Eagle and peregrine Falcon. The abundance of caves - here are called "palas" - propitiates the existence of numerous bat colonies, the most important in Galicia.Trevinca Massif
The mountains of Peña Trevinca conform the only mountain massif of Galicia with mountains that exceed 2,000 meters of altitude. It is situated in the southeast of Galicia, in the province of Ourense and located in the region of Valdeorras, within the municipal terms of a Veiga and Carballeda. Its approximate surface is 16,000 hectares, being a high mountain area where converge the Serra do Eixe, the Calva Sierra and the Segundera Sierra. The maximum height is 2,127 meters on the top of Peña Trevinca, mount located in the municipality of a Veiga, this being the Galician roof or highest point of our autonomous community.Montefurado Roman Tunnel
The Roman tunnel of Boca do Monte was built in the second century during the mandate of Emperor Trajan. Located in the so-called Pena do Corvo, Parish of Montefurado (Lugo), it allowed to divert the riverbed of the river Sil about three kilometers, to facilitate the extraction of the gold that remained in the mud of the basin. Dug in Slate, the tunnel measures 120 meters in length, by 19 wide and 17 high.Sierra del Caurel
The Sierra del Caurel houses the largest natural jewel in Galicia, the Devesa de Rogueira, a native forest where coexist the practically all the natural plant species of Galicia that have no coastal area. Highlights include chestnut trees, holly, beeches, yew, oaks, birch and wild orchids. It is also possible to find species like Holm oaks, Cork oaks, even some olive trees, more linked to the Mediterranean climate.The Caves – Region of Valdeorras
The buried wineries, where the wine was traditionally made and preserved in almost the entire region, are called "cuevas". There are real neighborhoods of them, betrayed by the curious chimneys called "Refugallo" that serve to regulate the humidity. The best preserved and visitable caves are located in Vilamartín, Seadur-Larouco, a Rúa, O Barco and Petín. Highlight the festivities of "La Ruta de las Cuevas" of Vilamartín (first Saturday of August) and Seadur (in Easter Week), where they tour the caves of the locality, tasting the artisan wine accompanied by the typical skewers like empanada, Iberian products, cheese, bica and many more delicacies.Surrounding Area
Featured places
Located
in the valley of the Sil, under the Serra do Eixo, O Barco is the
capital of the region of Valdeorras and the population with more
inhabitants
of the area. City of services, with great economic and commercial
activity, in whose territory and surroundings there are great
tourist
attractions: the old Town of O Barco, the Malecón Boulevard, the
monumental complex Villa de O Castro, the monastery of Xagoaza,
the waterfall of the Pincheira de Fervenza, the parishes of Éntoma and Viloira are places that should not be missed.
Area
of intense romanisation, both for its strategic importance and for its
richness in minerals, through Valdeorras passed the Vía Nova,
which
joined Braga with Astorga, as well as other Roman secondary roads, with
its bridges that are witness of that time. Among Las Médulas
(World Heritage) and Montefurado, are frequent the traces of the gold extractive activity of the Romans.
The
"Winter Road" (Camino de Invierno), pilgrimage route to Santiago by
which many pilgrims opted, to avoid the passage of the snow-
capped
peaks of the Cebreiro, enters Galicia by the region of Valdeorra and
follows practically the natural channel of the river Sil.
EThe
Natural Park of the Sierra de la Encina de la Lastra, the massif of
Trevinca, the Sierra del Caurel or the Ribeira Sacra are natural areas
of
special touristic interest.
O Barco de Valdeorras
Roman gold mine of “Las Médulas”
Just 20 km from the hotel you will find the largest open-pit gold mine in the entire Roman Empire. Declared by UNESCO World Heritage Site and Natural monument, it was chosen in 2016 as one of the ten most impressive natural places of Spain. Las Médulas is an ideal place to visit on a weekend or on a three-day holidays. You can tour them by car, horseback, bike or foot, being the routes suitable for all publics. Three things stand out mainly in Las Médulas: The paths that run through the archeological area, the viewpoints with its spectacular landscapes and the caves. It is advisable, first of all, to visit your archaeological classroom for more information and to see the options to visit Las Médulas.Baroque Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de las
Ermitas
National Monument, located midway between Viana do Bolo and A Rua. Its façade was built between 1713 and 1726 by Juan Martínez Pita. The Via Crucis was built in 1730 and consisting of 14 chapels containing 62 statues. Of great tourist attraction, it stands out for its celebrations of Easter Week, especially the Via Crucis, in which it crosses the stations that go from the sanctuary to the place of Cruceiro distant from each other approximately 1 km.Monastery of San Miguel de Xagoaza - O Barco
The set of Xagoaza has its origin in the XII-XIII centuries, which is when the Church of San Miguel dates back, made in Romanesque style. The sober monastery is posterior (XVIII century) and was built with masonry, mixed with red stone typical of Valdeorras in the interior cloister. The environment of the native forest surrounding this space and the vineyards, as well as beautiful and placid are extremely cared for.Natural Park of the Sierra de la Encina de la
Lastra
Located in the northeast of the province of Ourense, in the municipality of Rubiá, Valdeorras region. It has a surface of 3151.67 ha and an average altitude of 684 m. It is a limestone valley with steep slopes and cliffs in which Mediterranean forests are installed. Area of special interesting fauna, in particular for its populations of birds of prey, among which highlights the presence of the Royal Eagle and peregrine Falcon. The abundance of caves - here are called "palas" - propitiates the existence of numerous bat colonies, the most important in Galicia.Trevinca Massif
The mountains of Peña Trevinca conform the only mountain massif of Galicia with mountains that exceed 2,000 meters of altitude. It is situated in the southeast of Galicia, in the province of Ourense and located in the region of Valdeorras, within the municipal terms of a Veiga and Carballeda. Its approximate surface is 16,000 hectares, being a high mountain area where converge the Serra do Eixe, the Calva Sierra and the Segundera Sierra. The maximum height is 2,127 meters on the top of Peña Trevinca, mount located in the municipality of a Veiga, this being the Galician roof or highest point of our autonomous community.Montefurado Roman Tunnel
The Roman tunnel of Boca do Monte was built in the second century during the mandate of Emperor Trajan. Located in the so-called Pena do Corvo, Parish of Montefurado (Lugo), it allowed to divert the riverbed of the river Sil about three kilometers, to facilitate the extraction of the gold that remained in the mud of the basin. Dug in Slate, the tunnel measures 120 meters in length, by 19 wide and 17 high.Sierra del Caurel
The Sierra del Caurel houses the largest natural jewel in Galicia, the Devesa de Rogueira, a native forest where coexist the practically all the natural plant species of Galicia that have no coastal area. Highlights include chestnut trees, holly, beeches, yew, oaks, birch and wild orchids. It is also possible to find species like Holm oaks, Cork oaks, even some olive trees, more linked to the Mediterranean climate.The Caves – Region of Valdeorras
The buried wineries, where the wine was traditionally made and preserved in almost the entire region, are called "cuevas". There are real neighborhoods of them, betrayed by the curious chimneys called "Refugallo" that serve to regulate the humidity. The best preserved and visitable caves are located in Vilamartín, Seadur-Larouco, a Rúa, O Barco and Petín. Highlight the festivities of "La Ruta de las Cuevas" of Vilamartín (first Saturday of August) and Seadur (in Easter Week), where they tour the caves of the locality, tasting the artisan wine accompanied by the typical skewers like empanada, Iberian products, cheese, bica and many more delicacies.Surrounding Area
Featured places
Located in the valley of the Sil, under the Serra do
Eixo, O Barco is the capital of the region of
Valdeorras and the population with more
inhabitants of the area. City of services, with great
economic and commercial activity, in whose
territory and surroundings there are great tourist
attractions: the old Town of O Barco, the Malecón
Boulevard, the monumental complex Villa de O
Castro, the monastery of Xagoaza, the waterfall of
the Pincheira de Fervenza, the parishes of Éntoma
and Viloira are places that should not be missed.
Area of intense romanisation, both for its strategic
importance and for its richness in minerals,
through Valdeorras passed the Vía Nova, which
joined Braga with Astorga, as well as other Roman
secondary roads, with its bridges that are witness
of that time. Among Las Médulas (World Heritage)
and Montefurado, are frequent the traces of the
gold extractive activity of the Romans.
The "Winter Road" (Camino de Invierno),
pilgrimage route to Santiago by which many
pilgrims opted, to avoid the passage of the snow-
capped peaks of the Cebreiro, enters Galicia by
the region of Valdeorra and follows practically the
natural channel of the river Sil.
EThe Natural Park of the Sierra de la Encina de la
Lastra, the massif of Trevinca, the Sierra del
Caurel or the Ribeira Sacra are natural areas of
special touristic interest.
