Proaza, Asturias: municipality guide

Proaza is a municipality in central Asturias with 686 inhabitants on 76.79 km². Its capital is the town of Proaza, in the heart of the Valles del Oso (Bear Valleys): a land of gentle meadows and steep slopes, crossed by the Trubia river, where the Middle Ages left towers and entire villages and the 21st century brought Asturias’ most famous greenway.

Things to see in Proaza

The star attraction is the Senda del Oso (Bear Trail), one of Spain’s most outstanding green and ecological itineraries: a greenway laid out on the old mining railway that crosses the heart of Proaza, with the Casa del Oso (Bear House) —tourist office and starting point for hikers and cycle tourists— in its capital. The Trubia river carves beautiful meadows as it passes between ridges perpendicular to the Cantabrian range.

View of the town of Proaza, capital of the municipality. — Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Carmenmoran (CC BY 4.0)

From its medieval past —when Proaza was a key point in Asturias’ communication with the Meseta— it keeps the medieval Tower of Proaza, declared a Provincial Monument in 1965, and the Bandujo Tower. In Banduxu, the municipality’s first capital, survives one of the few preserved medieval villages in Asturias. Nature adds the Peñas Juntas Gorge and the Xanas Gorge, carved by the stream of the same name, plus waterfalls such as Aguascantarinas, on the Serandi river.

The Aguascantarinas waterfall, on the Serandi river, in Proaza. — Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Elfodelbosque (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Over 60% of the land lies above 400 metres of altitude, with 34% above 800: a mountain municipality combining meadows, woods and rock, ideal for hiking and outdoor activities.

Getting there

The easiest way to reach Proaza is to leave Oviedo on the A-63 motorway (Grado–La Espina) to Trubia and, after crossing the bridge over the Nalón, turn left onto the regional AS-228 road (Trubia–Puerto de Ventana) to Proaza: 27 km from the Asturian capital, according to the Town Hall itself. Pullmans Llaneza runs the regular bus service between Oviedo and the Valles del Oso municipalities. Proaza can also be reached from Teverga and the Ventana pass (AS-228) or from Quirós via Caranga.

Map of the municipality of Proaza: the capital, in gold. Data © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

Festivals and gastronomy

The calendar opens with the Nabos (turnip greens) food festival and the La Candela and San Blas fairs (February). September concentrates the big events: El Cristo de la Misericordia in Proaza, Nuestra Señora in Bandujo, the Romería de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios in Caranga and San Antonio in Villamejín. These are festivals spread across every village, with a strong presence of local produce at the table, plus livestock fairs among the busiest in the central region. At the table, the famous pote de nabos (turnip-greens stew), cured meats and traditional Easter buns stand out.