Route: Alaiza, Zalduondo, Salvatierra/Agurain, Barría, Estíbaliz.
From the mountains, still following the medieval road, we enter a thick wood of oaks and beech trees. Soon we see the bell tower of the Church of San Saturnino. A good sign - this means we are in Zalduondo. We leave the hard road behind, and the feeling of safety prevails. Ancestral homes, monasteries, bridges and hospitals are all part of the historical legacy we will discover step by step.
Atop an almost impassable hill lies the walled city of Villa de Salvatierra. Two beautiful church-forts flank either side of this town. Laid out in a skewed grid pattern, the main streets run lengthwise, dividing the town into angle-shaped blocks, each with their own stately homes built in a wide range of architectural styles.
The silence and the landscapes invite visitors to explore every nook and cranny.
But don't leave the Llanada without visiting the towns of Alaiza and Gaceo, where the gothic wall paintings in the churches are indeed a moving experience.
And if you keep rambling through the lowlands of Alava, be sure to take a look at the finely carved stones in the arches and capitals in the cloister of the Monastery of Barria and the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de Estibaliz.
