Yernes y Tameza, Asturias: municipality guide

Yernes y Tameza is the least populated municipality in Asturias: 134 inhabitants on 31.63 km² in the central zone, in the heart of the mountains. Its capital is Villabre, which has held the capital status since 1584, and its settlements are Fojó, Villaruiz, Yernes and Vendillés. Its people are called tamezanos. Among its mountains rise the Caldoveiro peak (1,354 metres), shared with Teverga, Grado and Proaza, and the Puertos de Marabio, a natural monument.

Things to see in Yernes y Tameza

The capital, Villabre, is a mountain village that keeps the look of rural Asturias: its central square, with the town hall and the hórreo (raised granary), is the heart of the municipality. Capital since 1584, Villabre hosts the main festivals and the town hall of the smallest municipality in Asturias.

Central square of Villabre, with the town hall and a hórreo, capital of Yernes y Tameza. — Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Astjew (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The Caldoveiro peak (1,354 metres), shared with Teverga, Grado and Proaza, dominates the municipality: its surroundings are a protected landscape of high pastures. At its feet lie the Puertos de Marabio, declared a natural monument, a karst of pastures and sinkholes between Yernes y Tameza, Teverga and Proaza. The archaeological remains concentrate in the Cuevallagar pass: burial mounds, a corro (stone circle) and a cave.

The Caldoveiro peak seen from the Puertos de Marabio, in the municipality of Yernes y Tameza. — Photo: Wikimedia Commons / jacilluch (CC BY-SA 2.0)

With 134 inhabitants, Yernes y Tameza is the least populated municipality in Asturias: a mountain territory dominated by the protected landscape of the Caldoveiro peak. The municipality borders Grado to the west, north and northeast, Proaza to the southeast and Teverga to the south, and consists of five settlements: Villabre, Fojó, Villaruiz, Yernes and Vendillés.

The Camín Real de la Mesa (GR 101) runs through the municipality, a historic route of communication between the plateau and the Asturian coast that today is walked as a long-distance trail. It is not, however, an official Camino de Santiago: no official Camino crosses Yernes y Tameza.

How to get there

The municipality lies in the heart of the central Asturian mountains, between Grado, Proaza and Teverga. Access is via mountain regional roads, so it is advisable to check road conditions in winter.

Festivals and gastronomy

The Acibidiello pilgrimage, in June in Villabre, opens the festival calendar; it is followed by San Antonio, in June in Yernes; the Cuevallagar Fair, in August in the pass; and El Rosario, in October in Yernes and Villabre. On the table, mountain cuisine rules: vegetables, meats and stews, free-range chicken eggs, chorizo and ham.