Route: Ormaiztegi, Zumarraga, Legazpi, Oñati, Arantzazu.
First came the aizeolak, foundries powered by windmills, and later the burdinolak, foundries powered by waterwheels. The prized iron ore from the nearby mines of Bizkaia was taken to the Goierri region of Gipuzkoa where expert hands would extract and shape the iron.
The River Urola flows through the valley, revealing the history of the people who have lived there from the early Middle Ages to the present.
The Mirandaola Ironworks, the Basque Museum of Iron and the Zumalakarregi Museum are examples of living history at its best.
A witness to the valley's history, the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua overlooks the town of Zumarraga. Known as the "cathedral of churches", the intricate wood structure of the interior has remained untouched since it was first built.
And to end our visit, at the southern end of the valley is the town par excellence for lovers of architecture: Oñate. Baroque manor houses, tower-houses, churches, convents and monasteries . . . and the seat of the first Basque university all add to the grandeur of this city.
