Oporto/Viavélez

El Porto/Viavélez honours the beauty of the western coast with its ports and fishing villages, and gives El Franco, its municipality, a prominent place in terms of coastal scenery.

Hidden, almost secret and humble, Viavélez offers peace, the atmosphere of a fishing port, good cuisine and a lot of literature. Precisely because of the art of literature, this fishing village in western Asturias has travelled all over the world thanks to the fact that its favourite daughter, the novelist Corín Tellado - the most widely read novelist in the Spanish language after Cervantes - was born in this beautiful village and you will find her birthplace there. This author also gives her name to one of the most beautiful streets in the town, which was laid out from the Cofradía de Pescadores (Fishermen's Guild).

Like any self-respecting fishing village, Viavélez preserves in its customs and its typical architecture the essence of the culture of western Asturias, and you will feel it in its streets, in its port or in its viewpoint, from where you will have spectacular views of the coastline.

Despite its current tranquillity, for centuries its port played a predominant role in whaling, and its shipyard, with a reputation for building the fastest brigantines on the entire Asturian coast, ended its activity in the 19th century. This gave way to an adaptation of the dock as it looks today. So take a nice stroll around this relaxing town, impregnated in all its corners by the Cantabrian Sea, and go up to the El Porto viewpoint for a great panoramic view. Once there you will find the sculpture called "Litoral", by Ernesto Knorr, which will sum up for you like a metaphor the living and fighting spirit of the always friendly Viavélez.