Of course, thirty years is nothing, but that’s the time that has passed since 1986, when Asturias set up what was the first rural tourism establishment in Spain. Everything has changed since then, and for the better. The village of Taramundi, where the original La Rectoral was inaugurated, has now become an international paragon. Travellers have come from far and wide to discover it and enjoy the peace and quiet it offers, as well as to meet its people and learn its traditions. Rural tourism, which has subsequently spread across the whole of Asturias, is a leisure style with millions of adepts, some of whom have found in Asturias their coveted paradise.

La Rectoral – 30 Years of Rural Encounters in a Natural Paradise

Three decades ago, when few would have thought that tourism might become one of the region’s major economic engines, the government of the Principality of Asturias bravely decided to spearhead a project intended to transform a small spot in the Principality – Taramundi. Balancing enjoyment of and respect for the environment was the watchword of this initiative which culminated in the opening of the Hotel La Rectoral on 17 June 1986.

A Trend that Spread Like Wildfire Across the Whole of Asturias

After the inauguration of La Rectoral, new projects sprang up all over Asturias – notably in the east, west and centre of the region – in the form of small hotels, village houses and rural apartments. A whole panoply of rural accommodations which breathed new life into villages and hamlets and engendered a new concept of leisure based on authenticity and contact with nature, traditional customs and the ancestral world.

A Superb Backdrop for Rural Tourism

Preservation of the environment, which for 30 years has made us worthy of the epithet, “Asturias, a Natural Paradise”, is the perfect enticement for a sojourn in its rural areas. Asturias boasts over a third of its territory under some form of official protection, whether as a park, reserve or natural monument. Following are some of its standout areas:

In the Picos de Europa, visitors can hike through the gorges that divide this great limestone mass, delve into the activity of livestock grazing – which is still carried out within the park boundaries – or discover karst formations and glacial remains, as in the Covadonga lakes.

Another option is to visit the Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña e Ibias nature reserve, a territory with a marked variety of nuances which acts as a sanctuary for the Cantabrian brown bear and features the largest oak forest in Europe – the Muniellos Forests.

Something similar is in store for the traveller in Somiedo, as here, too, you can follow the tracks of the brown bear and because scattered across the whole territory you will come across pastureland punctuated by the presence of cabanas de teito,stone constructions with thatched roofs once used by vaqueiros or highland cowherds as a refuge in the summer months, the sight of which takes the onlooker back in time.

Beech forests are the prevalent type of vegetation in the Redes woodlands, while the spectacular summits of the Retriñón, Peña del Viento, Canto del Oso and Pico Torres are a treat for those seeking contact with nature.

Much of the reserve known as Oscos-Eo is also forested. However, what sets it apart is its status as one of Spain’s most active craft tradition areas. More than just the cradle of rural tourism, Taramundi is home to one of the most interesting ethnographic complexes on the Peninsula.

The latest addition to this array of idyllic settings is the Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Nature Park. With an area of 451 km², it is the site of the second largest limestone mountain system in the Cordillera Cantábrica – namely the Peña Ubiña Massif – and it also features various cultural vestiges which range in time from the Bronze Age to a present-day theme park – the Prehistoric Park.

Dreaming in Asturias

Dreaming in Asturias is a cinch, whether you are asleep or awake. With a stellar track record in the business, our accommodations are of the highest standard and beyond guaranteed. We cater to all kinds of visitors in terms of taste, objectives and options. From available feedback, it would seem that lodging in Asturias is always a gratifying experience.

As an example of rural excellence, some 50 rural hotels are managed under the quality seal known as “Casonas Asturianas”, while 56 Casas de Aldea y Apartamentos Rurales (village houses and rural apartments) come under the auspices of the “Asturias Calidad Rural” association.

Both the Casonas Asturianas hotels and the houses and apartments making up the Casas de Aldea y Apartamentos Rurales de Aldeas attest to the excellence shared by thousands of people who on countless occasions are able to recall and adopt as their own the motto that dreaming in Asturias is really easy and within anybody’s reach.

Alone, with your Partner or as a Family

All kinds of experiences can be had in Asturias, each one better than the last. You can savour urban or rural settings and bask in either mountain or seaside idylls, all at your own pace. And, you can do so any way you wish – alone, with your partner or with children and the whole family. The options are endless, determined by your interests and tastes.

And, very importantly, it is very easy to get from the villages to the city and vice versa. Everything is near and well connected.

Clearly, Asturias is a paradise any time of the year. It offers a host of leisure opportunities in terms of nature, culture, gastronomy, etc. All you need to do is come. Check out our flights here.

Text and images by Turismo de Asturias

Tel Aviv is a city that never sleeps and offers a mix of opportunities to enjoy our stay there. Each neighborhood has its owns charms and each can have a unique and unforgettable experience:

1.- Old Jaffa

The old town, Old Jaffa , claims to be the neighborhood where the history of Tel Aviv begins. Its narrow streets and picturesque stone houses make you immerse in the old Ottoman Empire. This part of town is known for being one of the busiest and the main claim for tourists, attracted by the bohemian and art off its people and places. The flea market, Jaffa Flea Market , treasures all kinds of antique and curiosities that will not let us get away with empty hands. If we are hungry, Ali Karavan serves the best hummus in the world. Its main dish is hummus with beans and also the prices are very affordable. Another restaurant in the area to highlight is Dr Shakshuka , where you can taste the typical Israeli home cooking as much varied and tasty.

2.- Tel Aviv Port

This restless city is characterized by its port and beaches, washed by the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea . Tel Aviv offers spectacular views and it is a must walking around the harbor, which can be reached just leaving Old Jaffa. In Tel Aviv Port can be found especially local clubs or cocktail bars and a wide range of restaurants for all tastes. On the seafront is located Galina , an outdoor nightclub whose attendees are both tourists and locals. Theme nights for everyone are usually scheduled . Lovers of fish and shellfish can not say goodbye to Tel Aviv without delighting their palate in Manta Ray , number one shellfish in Israel . Another of their specialties is the cream of aubergine, a favorite for many of their guests . It is a perfect place for both a brunch with friends or to enjoy a romantic dinner by moonlight and the sound of the waves.

3.- Tel Aviv’s Downtown

Tel Aviv’s downtown hosts the most sophisticated shops in the city, from world famous brands to luxurious Israeli firms. The most emblematic of Tel Aviv are the great Dizengoff shopping center and the Bauhaus Center museum , in the heart of the city. We may also choose from a variety of restaurants that feature cuisine of extreme quality. Our favorites are the ice cream from Vaniglia and The Dinning Hall, a multicultural restaurant that fuses the culture of Israel through the cooking styles Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Arabic and Jebusites, always with Mediterranean and European connotations. The latter is located in the Performing Arts Center, on the boulevard of King Saul.

4.- Florentin

Florentin is a lively, bourgeois neighborhood of Tel Aviv. Where once was the working class’s refuge, in this last decade has been transformed and has been filled with artists, artisans and interesting people. Walking the Florentine streets is common to see graffiti on the walls or doors of houses, shops and establishments. Shuk Haaliyah spice market has become a must for all visitors to the city. We recommend to eat at Hahultziym 3, a restaurant that will make us dream with its parmesan-reggiano cheese, its kebabs, pitas roasted pork pitas and challah or bread stuffing Hebrew.

5.- Rothschild

Rothschild is the quintessential neighborhood for shopping and browse lots of little shops of local and vintage clothing. The Rothschild Boulevard and Shenkin Street have boutiques with a personality, best to go for the latest. Tuesdays and Fridays, Nahalat Binyamin Street becomes a showcase for the most innovative designers of clothing, jewelry, furniture and handicrafts. Most hedonists are in the right district, as the coolest nightclub in Tel Aviv, Radio EPGBE opens its doors in front of the boulevard. The purest underground atmosphere and live music make us enjoy the Israeli scene. You will listen to indie, rock, electronic and independent music in general. After a wild night, we can go to recover strength to Benedict, on the same boulevard, open 24 h and specialized in the most complete and tasty breakfasts that we can imagine.

5.- Neve Tzedek

The trendy district of Tel Aviv is precisely Neve Tzedek where tradition and modernity coexist. It is one of the most beautiful and was built in 1887 as the first Jewish neighborhood outside the walls of Jaffa. Get lost in its streets is essential in our journey to discover the white city’s history and evolution. We will be mesmerised by its amazing architecture that invite us to take pictures incessantly. Bohemian artists and modern people occupy the streets and proliferate their workshops and business in this area. The Monastery is a cocktail bar open 24 h, known for the variety of imported beers, situated at Allenby. Sausages are its specialty and there are all kinds. Good place to connect and converse with the locals and other tourists. Next to Neve Tzedek, the impressive market Hacarmel stands with stalls of exotic stuff and food to trade with their multicultural assistants.

Image:Boris Kuznetsov

By Blanca Frontera .

A place worth visiting! Check our prices here.

Words by Rita Branco

To begin your journey we invite you to take a closer look at an almost forgotten side of Lisbon: Braço de Prata. Located between Santa Apolónia and Oriente, it’s not the most charming area in the city, but in recent times it has become a place where new things find a start. Pioneers in recycling forgotten buildings, the cultural center Fábrica Braço de Prata was created back in 2007. Formerly a factory where war materials were manufactured, it is now a place to cultivate new ideas: since it replaced gunpowder with books, this special spot locks up between its doors countless proposals: from live music to art exhibitions, poetry sessions, dance meetings and other gatherings. Due to its variety of rooms, there is always something happening. It has twelve doors in total, all hiding secrets and each one with its own purpose: four exhibition rooms, another one for film projections, other for musical performances, a bookstore and a couple of bars. A place of leisure filled with a young and dynamic crowd.

Moving to one of the oldest neighborhoods in the heart of Lisbon, Anjos, there’s a place called Taberna das Almas, another cultural association born out of a deactivated glass factory. With two floors and three different rooms, this place made out of wood and full of personality, wants to revitalize the area by promoting and supporting all sorts of cultural projects. Since 2012, every road leads to Feira das Almas on the first Saturday of every month: this alternative market presents sixty projects every new edition, from vintage shopping and handicraft to brand new designers and labels, always accompanied by live music. Being the place where online shops gain a temporarily physical space, big traveling bags are turned into showcases and young artists exhibit their work, Feira das Almas brings a fresh idea into traditional business.

So you feel like visiting Lisboa, do you? Book your flights here!

Imagen de Ricardo Junqueira

On our first visit to Rome we were struck by the sheer number of fountains we came across on our walks. I don’t mean just the monumental type – and there are some very beautiful ones – but the public drinking fountains located all over the old city which are ideal for quenching your thirst. After researching the subject we learned that water and its distribution was one of the ancient Romans’ major concerns, leading them to build aqueducts and channelling systems. Much of this must have rubbed off on the subsequent generations who inherited their legacy, prompting them to continue to seek ways of managing such a valuable asset.

Before focusing on the grand monumental fountains – we have made a selection of our favourites, listed below – let’s start by talking about their more modest counterparts, the nasoni. These public drinking fountains date from 1874 and are typically made of iron, cylindrical in form and with a snout-shaped spout; hence they are known as nasoni (nasone, in the singular) which means nose in Italian. Rome has nearly 2,500 and most of them provide clean drinking water which, in the hot summer, is something to be grateful for. One of the oldestnasoniis in the Piazza della Rotonda, near the Pantheon. They are well worth seeking out on your walks and you are likely to be pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion.

Fontana di Trevi

We start with the best known and most widely photographed of them all. Visiting Rome without seeing the Trevi Fountain is like not having been there at all. Don’t expect it to be sited in a huge square – quite the opposite. It defies belief how so much activity and splendour is crammed into the intersection where it is sited. Designed by Nicola Salvi and completed in 1762 – the original preliminary drawings are by Bernini – it was commissioned by Pope Clement II and its central theme is the Taming of the waters.And, yes – go ahead and carry out the ritual of throwing a coin in the fountain, ensuring you will return to this beautiful city. Beware, though, it is strictly forbidden to emulate Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita!

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi

The spectacular Fountain of the Four Rivers, which is surmounted by a huge Egyptian obelisk from the Roman period, is sited in the Piazza Navona. Around the base are four statues depicting the world’s four main rivers – the Nile, Ganges, Danube and Río de la Plata. This exceptional work by the great Baroque master, Bernini, has two companion fountains on the side – Neptune and the Moor.

Fontana del Tritone

The Triton Fountain is once again the work of the great Gian Lorenzo Bernini, although this time the fountain is rather more modest and yet every bit as beautiful. Located in the Piazza Barberini, very near the Trevi Fountain, it is dedicated to the god, Triton, shown kneeling on the tail-fins of four dolphins and holding up a conch from which spouts a jet of water.

Fontana del Pantheon

Located in the picturesque Piazza della Rotonda in front of the Pantheon, this dolphin fountain is popularly known as the Fountain of the Pantheon. It was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII and designed by Giacomo della Porta. Like the previous fountain, the basin acts as the supporting foundation for an obelisk dating from the period of Ramses II.

Two Fountains in the Piazza Farnese

The Piazza Farnese, one of our favourite squares, is the site of two highly original matching fountains set on the sides. They are strikingly shaped like bath-tubs and made of granite taken from the Caracalla Baths.

Fontana della Barcaccia

The Fountain of the Old Boat is located in the Piazza di Spagna, at the foot of the spectacular Spanish Steps. It is the work of Pietro Bernini, the father of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Depicted in stone is a ship which, according to the tradition, was washed down here by a flash flood in the river Tiber.

When visiting Rome, be sure to visit these and many other fountains. Book your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Lalupa, Sébastien Bertrand, Matt Brisher, 2pi.pl, LASZLO ILYES, Anita Szeicz