쉬운 엘 바르코 데 발데오라스 주변 하이킹 및 워킹 코스

Here the Rio Sil dams up to form a lake

The petos de ánimas or “soul piggy banks” are an artistic expression of medieval popular architecture linked to the cult of the dead and beliefs about life and death. In the religious reform of the 16th century, the concept of Purgatory appeared as an alternative to save the “souls in torment” who wandered around waiting to be condemned, suppressing the idea of eternal punishment. The petos de ánimas reached their highest artistic quality in the 18th century, they are at crossroads and form part of the ethnographic heritage of the Galician rural environment. In the municipality of Parada de Sil there are petos de ánimas in Requián, Teimende, Casa do Vento, Cimadevila, O Couto and O Coutiño, with two striking ornamental pinnacles on the stone chapel.

The trail begins in the Plaza do Barquilleiro, in Parada de Sil, a must-see in the essential landscapes of the Sil Canyon and the Ribeira Sacra to discover fantasy forests, river balconies, traditional wineries and the ancient monastery of Santa Cristina, a notable landmark in the Benedictine foundations spread across the great river canyon in the interior of Galicia.

The Balconies of Madrid have a history that speaks of emigration, dreams and human adventures in unknown lands. The original name of Os Torgás was changed when the people of the Ourense villages of the Ribeira Sacra hung themselves from the cliffs of the River Sil to say goodbye to their loved ones who were leaving for Madrid and other lands in the south with the dream of a new life. The viewing points form small steps hanging over the river gorge and cause a special fascination. The breeze in the air carries the aromas of vineyards hanging on steep rocky terraces and melodies of elves emerging from enchanted forests, descendants of the primitive mythological beings who resisted the sacralisation of their plant kingdom by the monks and long before by the Roman legions. The walls of the Sil Canyon are a monumental sculpture five hundred metres high made of fierce, bare granite, a fortress of living rock up to the edge of the viewing points that filter the wind, the lights and the eternal songs of all the people who have passed through this fantastic natural balcony to say goodbye or find someone.

Visitable castle restored in different areas and worth seeing, along with the streets that surround it, medieval area of the town of Castro Caldelas

The walkway route from the Mao River to the Sil Canyon is one of the most beautiful areas to see in the Ribeira Sacra (and, in general, of everything there is to see in Ourense) The total distance of the Mao walkways is 1.8 kilometers and the difference in level to be overcome (using stairs) is 41 meters.

In the Middle Ages, the fortress of Castro Caldelas belonged to the house of Trastámara, its growth being very rapid due to trade and craft activities in which linen weavers made this place an important location for their businesses, in addition to Jews with liberal occupations.

With a semicircular arch façade. Inside the temple it is possible to find artistic elements such as a baroque-style altarpiece or a carving of San Antonio Abad that have a certain artistic value.