Cider, the drink that Strabo promoted

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In the 1st century AD The Greek geographer, traveller and writer Strabo alluded to "zythos", probably the precursor of present-day Asturian cider, in a book on the Iberia Peninsula.

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Cider, the drink that Strabo promoted
GPS: 43.3580572598955, -5.505125215179969

Nava - Fuensanta - Villaviciosa - Valdediós - Argüeros - Colunga - Gobiendes

Day 1: Nava - Nava 5,24

Day 1: Nava, with its Cider Museum, is the starting point. Located in the town centre, the museum reveals the cider-making cycle, from the apple harvest to the traditional buffet banquet known as an espicha where people sing tonada (Asturian ballads), enjoy home-cooking and drink the best "palu"(brew). The descriptive section of the museum contains interactive installations. After this visit, a walk through the town reveals cider taverns, old cider mills, the Church of San Bartolomé and the town hall, located in the main square. Nava flourishes in the shade of Peña Mayor. This mountain can be accessed via the road to Piloñeta. The final part consists of a steep track leading to mountain meadows offering a panoramic view of the central area of Asturias.

Day 2: Nava - Martimporra - Sariego - Nava 51,5

Day 2: The River Pendón Gorges Trail is the planned route for the second day. It starts out in the surroundings of Fuensanta, less than 4 kilometres from Nava on the NA-1. Near the end of the trail stands the privately owned La Ferrería House-Fort, a 14th-century building declared a Historic-Artistic Monument. The trail is 10 kilometres long and takes some three hour and a half hours. Back in the town, you can take a guided tour of a cider mill or take the AS-251 to Martimporra, the borough capital of Bimenes, to visit the Marquis of Casa Estrada Mansion. From there, you can head for Sariego to discover the Romanesque Churches of Santa María de Narzana and Santiago El Mayor. Both are beautiful buildings set in secluded spots. You get to Sariego via the AS-357 secondary road, which reveals its vast countryside setting. You can return to Nava via the A-8 and the N-634.

Day 3: Nava - Villaviciosa 28,8

Day 3: From Nava to Villaviciosa on the AS-335, passing through Cabranes, another cider-making centre. Within the borough of Cabranes, you find the House-Museum of Popular Asturian Pottery in Pinera (prior booking required), a visit to Torazu, Exemplary Town of Asturias in 2008, and a walk back through time in the Country School Museum exhibition in Viñón. Once in Villaviciosa, a good, well-organized walk enables you to get to know La Ballina Park, the remains of a medieval wall, the birthplace of José Caveda y Nava, the marketplace, the Los Valdés Mansion and the renovated Riera Theatre. In this borough, you can sign up for guided tours of both cider apple orchards and cider mills, where you can sample the "fruits of success" from the latest harvest.

Day 4: Villaviciosa - Argüero - Villaviciosa 49

Day 4: Valdedios, a village south of Villaviciosa, has a priceless monastery and Pre-Romanesque church located in a country setting. This could be a good option to start the day. Back near the coast, the Villaviciosa Estuary Interpretation Centre is a must stop, where the ecological riches of this Partial Nature Reserve are explained, although it is only open daily during the summer. Closer to the coast, on the AS-256 road to Gijón, lies the village of Argüero, where you can find the Asturcón Ecomuseum, devoted to this local breed of horse. It comprises a display area integrated in the village itself, where there is also a breeding stable. Back in Villaviciosa, you still have time to discover more cider mills and traditional cider taverns or make a stop off to visit Tazones and El Puntal Harbour, where you can hire a canoe. Weather permitting, this is a good opportunity to go to Rodiles Beach.

Day 5: Villaviciosa - Colunga 30

Day 5: To end the tour of the borough, you have to really get to know Colunga, where you need to make a stop off in the mountains to gaze out to sea. The Jurassic Museum, between the borough capital, Colunga, and Lastres, is a modern exhibition facility which takes you back in time into prehistory. The building, which has a unique design simulating the footprint of a dinosaur and includes a children's playground, is situated on the coastal strip overlooking the sea. Nearby, La Griega Beach is the starting point of a trail where you can see the fossilized footprints of dinosaurs. Mountains rise up in the Sueve Range, whose Interpretation Centre is found in the village of Gobiendes offering guided hiking trails through this natural setting, as well as the chance to visit the Pre-Romanesque Church of Santiago de Gobiendes. Outstanding among these routes is the one up to Pienzu Peak, the highest point in the range at 1,161 metres.