Logroño, with about 152,000 inhabitants, is the capital of La Rioja, on the Ebro river. It is a tidy, green, cheerful city, capital of one of the world's most famous wine regions and an important stage of the Way of St James. See also Spanish wine.
History
A frontier town between Navarre and Castile, it received its town charter in 1095 and grew thanks to pilgrims bound for Santiago, who still enter by the stone bridge over the Ebro. In 1521 it withstood a siege by French troops, remembered at the San Bernabé festival. In the 17th century it hosted one of the Inquisition's most famous witch trials, against the witches of Zugarramurdi.
What to see
- The co-cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda, with its twin Baroque towers, "the twins", and a small Crucifixion painting attributed to Michelangelo.
- The church of Santiago el Real, with its statue of St James the Moor-slayer, and the Pilgrims' Fountain.
- The church of San Bartolomé, the oldest, with its Gothic portal.
- Calle Ruavieja, the Camino street, with underground cellars.
- The Museum of La Rioja, in the Espartero palace.
- The Paseo del Espolón, with the monument to General Espartero, and the Ebro park.
Calle Laurel and pintxos
Calle Laurel, with Calle San Juan and nearby streets, is one of Spain's most famous tapas areas: dozens of small bars, each specialising in one pincho, such as Bar Soriano's grilled mushrooms with a prawn, patatas bravas, zapatillas or matrimonio. People hop from bar to bar with a glass of crianza.
Festivals
- San Bernabé, on 11 June, with free bread, fish and wine in memory of the 1521 siege.
- The San Mateo festivals, around 21 September, coincide with the Rioja Grape Harvest Festival: the first grapes are trodden in front of the co-cathedral and the must offered to the Virgin of Valvanera.
Around and getting there
The Rioja wineries at Haro, Laguardia, Briones and Elciego, the monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla and Nájera. Logroño has trains to Madrid, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Barcelona; the small Agoncillo airport has few flights, and Bilbao's is about an hour and a half away.