Clúster

The town of the province of Lugo has been awarded by the association that brings together more than a hundred towns from all over the country.

The final stretch of 2022 has brought us good news for the tourism sector in the municipality of Portomarín in Lugo. The town has been awarded one of its annual awards by the Magic Towns of Spain initiative. Specifically, the one that recognises the most outstanding village in the field of rural tourism. “Portomarín is an exemplary village for Rural Tourism, linked to the Way of St. James, but also thanks to the excellence of its rural accommodation in houses, small charming hotels and a “Pousada” which, in times, was a National Parador”, highlight those responsible for the Magical Towns of Spain, an initiative promoted by the Institute of Local Development and Social Studies of which more than 120 localities throughout the country are already part.

The award given to Portomarín also highlights the effort made decades ago by local residents to move stone by stone the main monuments when the Belesar reservoir was built, as well as its strategic position on the Way of St. James and a must for thousands of pilgrims. Likewise, when awarding the prize, its promoters have taken into account the local gastronomic wealth, with its eau-de-vie or traditional eel stews at the forefront, and the local ingenuity that has led its inhabitants to “invent Drought Tourism, when the summer lowers the waters of the Miño from the Belesar reservoir and the ruins of the old town and other villages can be visited”.

Cambados, Combarro, Ribadavia, A Veiga, O Irixo, Larouco, A Pobra de Trives and O Vicedo are the other Galician representatives in the group of Magic Towns of Spain, which in this year’s awards have also decided to honour Icod de los Vinos (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and Madrigal de las Altas Torres (Ávila).