Do you fancy going away before the official summer holidays, to beat the crowds? Make a note of these ideas.

At noon on 29 July each year, in the small Pontevedran church of San Xosé de Ribarteme, one of the most unusual processions in the world sets out – the Romaxe dos cadaleitos (Procession of the Coffins) of Santa Marta de Ribartemeo. San Xosé de Ribarteme is in the municipality of As Neves, some 30 kilometres from Vigo, which for centuries remained isolated from the influence of traditional, orthodox Catholicism.

The effigy of St Martha is paraded at the procession of Santa Marta de Ribarteme,protectress of the helpless and patroness of lost causes, one of the most devoutly worshipped virgins in the community. She is also the sister of Mary Magdalene and Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Christ after having been dead for three days. Alongside her effigy and the images of St Benedict and the Virgin of Carmen, a funeral cortege comprising open coffins with living people insidefiles past, the coffins held aloft by family and friends. It is a profound act of faith, combining religion and symbology, by which the faithful intend to fulfil a promise they have made to St Martha out of gratitude for having survived some near-death experience. As the cortege files past, the other pilgrims sings the praises of the virgin’s healing powers to the rhythm of drums and the constant pealing of bells.“Virgin St Martha, Star of the North, we bring you those who saw death”.

The enactment breathes spirituality and a devotion typical of the Galician heartland. Visitors may be shocked by the scene, but every year more and more faithful, tourists and passers-by come to this small Galician village to experience this special moment. Galicia is a land of legends in which death and resurrection often play a major role. Stories which unfold across misty landscapes, like the one about the Holy Campaign – a procession of tormented souls who, in their grim wanderings, visit the homes where someone is about to die. This mysticism is part of the land’s charm – to discover the essence of Galicia, one has to come to terms with its ancestral customs.

In the International Limelight

The procession is arousing increasingly more interest among tourists and journalists around the world. It even came to the notice of The Guardian which ranked it the second most unusual festivity in the world, a fact which has increased its fame even further. Other landmarks in the area have also come to the prestigious newspaper’s notice – it has classed Rodas Beach and the Cíes Islands, in the archipelago of the same name in Pontevedra province, as the most beautiful in the world.

The journal, National Geographic, also set its sights on the Rías Baixas in a documentary on cultural traditions and communities around Europe. In the course of its making, the television presenter, Darren McMullen, got heavily involved in the action by climbing into one of the processionary coffins.

«El Concello de As Neves»

The Concello de As Neves municipality, closely linked to the river Miño, which forms the natural border with Portugal along a 10-kilometre stretch, is an ideal spot for delving into the past. This is evident at A Pedra da Moura, in the Taboexa parish district, and Monte das Carboeiras, in Liñares, as well as in the military vestiges at Cividá, Rocha and Altamira. The beautiful landscapes of As Neves can be viewed from several routes skirting the Miño riverbanks, notably the Sendeiro dos Pescadores de As Neves, which winds along the Galician side of the river, and the Ruta do Patrimonio Natural e Histórico-Artístico, a circular route which traverses the thirteen parish districts in the As Neves municipality.

Concello de As Neves also boasts fine cuisine, with such local produce as lamprey, baby eel, game, honey and queixo (cheese) das Neves, ideally washed down with a white wine from the Miño riverbanks such as Condado or Albariño, or the Rubios red.

Come and live out this extraordinary experience. Check out our flights to Vigo here.

Text by Scanner FM

Images by Ricardo Grobas for Vivir Galicia Turismo, Galicia Maxica, Un paseo o una foto

Fuerteventura’s cuisine is as contrasted as their landscapes. A cuisine based on simple but very tasty products with a culinary tradition that goes back centuries. It has taken advantage like no other the agricultural and livestock resources and has preserved the traditions for processing. It is the case of "gofio amasado", the diet of the ancient inhabitants of the island that has been developed with flour from grain toast from long ago.

The typical dishes are the papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes)-a variety smaller than the common boiled with salt until the skin is wrinkled-, and served with a spicy sauce called Mojo. The word comes from the Portuguese molho, which means just gravy. There are generally two types of mojo: green prepared with green pepper and that is usually accompanies fish and the red mojo, with paprika that gives meat flavor.

The Majorero Cheese is elaborated in Fuerteventura, one of the most popular cheeses everywhere because of its very aromatic milk fat that majorera goats produce roaming freely around the fields.

Between the products of the land stands out the majorero tomato, grown with care in a fertile land with volcanic stones, which give an intense flavor and a great consistency and color.

But its flagship product comes from the sea. The fish is prepared in Fuerteventura in every conceivable ways: fried, roasted, sauteed or cooked and in classic recipes such as the Sancorcho, that you definitely have to try if you visit the island.

The commitment to sustainable fisheries has been successful and has allowed the proliferation of many species. Some typical are the amberjack, the dentex, the red fula , the “morena” or red pomfret, that you'll find really fresh in their restaurants.

To have a good meal in Fuerteventura, you should get away from the tourist areas and into the island. In small towns of the interior, it is still possible to find places to try truly traditional food.

To have a good meal in Fuerteventura, you should get away from the tourist areas and into the island. In small towns of the interior, it is still possible to find places to try truly traditional food.

Casa Isaítas
Calle Guize 7, Pájara
www.casaisaitas.com

Great majorera cuisine based in fresh and seasonal products. Try the local cheese, salads with products from the garden, the grilled cheese with green mojo, goat meat with sauce or a version of a dish, as it is the Ropa Vieja, but vegetarian to please everyone. To have between stone walls or in its interior and enjoy the best majorero environment.

Restaurante la Playita
Muelle Chico, La Oliva

From the sea to the stove. This area is rich in fish and at the Playita Restaurant they prepare them great. Try "la cabrita", deeply fried with good oil and from wich you can eat everything from the head and bones. And with stunning views to the sea as it is practically on the sand of the beach.

Casa Santa María
Plaza de Santa María, Betancuria

A farmhouse from the XVII century now restored and converted into a restaurant that has been awarded as the most beautiful of the island. In the historical center of Betancuria you will find this cuisine that blends traditional and experimental. Try the house specialty, the roasted kid.

Casa del Queso
Betancuria

There is also an ideal place for a quick stop and to try some of the specialties of the island in Betacuria. The Cheese House is a small venue that is located off Betancuria on the way to Pajara where you can taste the cheeses that are made in the village. If you're interested, they will explain the features of each, and if you want to take a piece home, they will vacuum pack it for you.

Picture mojo verde by Abhay Kumar | Mojo rojo by Fernando Carmona Gonzalez | Sancorcho by Canario1

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.

Up to Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean, comes all kinds of tourism attracted by its fantastic contrasts. Big claims are its magnificent landscapes, crystal clear waters and beaches – that nothing have to envy to the beaches of the Caribbean-, considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. But up to Sardinia becomes also a tourism seeking to discover their valuable cultural legacy.

Ancestral traditions and rural ambiences that intermingle with modern cities and, in many areas, a luxurious tourism with big purchasing power. The fact that till not long ago, the island was a slightly exploited turísticamente, it does that the Sardinians still preserve predisposition is good towards the tourism. They always prove to be kind and ready to help and to advise.

Olbia is located in the North of the island. Olbia means ‘happy town’ and is not for less!. Here you will find that, for some, are the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean. It will cost you to choose between all of them, with its crystal clear waters and fine white sand. The beaches of Porto Istana, Lido del Sole, Li Cuncheddi, Bados, Il Pelikano happening by the 55 kilometres from the Coast Emerald in a postcard landscapes. And for the more daring, remember that it is an excellent area to practice the exciting kite surfing!

The Coast Emerald is a holiday place of jet set. The area of the gulf in which it places Olbia finds full luxurious yachts, and it is frequented by celebrities of all kinds that culture and history come attracted by the fascinating nature miscellany. And the fact is that Olbia preserves historical buildings and architectural value as the Town hall, the Romanesque iglésia of San Simplicio, the ruins cistenses or the Carthaginian wall.

The city of Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, is located on seven hills (Sant’Elia, Bonaria, Monte Urpinu, Castello, Monte Claro, Tuvixeddu San Michele), in the gulf south of Sardinia and surrounded by marshes. Cagliari, and the entire island of Cerdagne in general, retains important vestiges of the Phoenician and Roman civilizations, and a true medieval air. You ll marvel at their culture, and the taste of marinera capital.

The oldest district of the town is the Castello, in which are the main points of interest. Perched high on a hill, you can easily access, either from the elevator of the market of Santa Chiara, from which it is located near to the Torre di San Pancrazio or climbing the staircase of St Remy that comes out of the piazza Constituzione. This square is a very lively place at night, with performances and lively local.In the district of la Marina, more mediterranean atmosphere, with plenty of typical taverns to eat. And let’s not forget the beaches! The most popular is the of Poetto, and one of the most beautiful of all the Mediterranean, as well as the marshes where you can see a host of migratory birds such as flamingos.

Finally, mention her excellent gastronomy. As in the rest of the Mediterranean, Sardinia is an island rich in healthy products from land and sea. Starting with its typical bread, the pane pane Carasau – of thin mass and crunchy, which many times is served drizzled with olive oil or to which you add tomato, fried egg or cheese. If you want to apply for a rich incoming, choose between the octopus, tuna, soup of fish, squid, shrimp, a dish of pasta or the rich rice that so well prepared. To choose a wine, keep in mind that the best come from the area of Alghero or Oristan.

Imagen de Max.oppo

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.