Larraintzar offers two distinct starting points for planning a trip: its local architecture and the Camino Auzerabide. At its heart is the modern parish church of San Pedro; the circular walking trail passes through oak and beech forests, meadows and small villages with traditional houses. This places the village in the context of both cultural history and a specific walk.
Church, Houses and Bridge Ruins
The modern parish church of San Pedro stands at the centre of Larraintzar. Its floor plan is shaped like a Latin cross; the building has a single-nave church hall, a tower at the foot end and a side portico providing access to the church. These features describe different aspects of the building: its floor plan, main space and entrance.
The present-day church was built after a fire destroyed the Renaissance church in 1564, and after several rebuilds between 1827 and 1830. The village houses follow the architectural typology typical of the Ultzama Valley. The main square is home to several examples of manor houses with coats of arms, wooden balconies and sloping roofs. This architectural typology places the large houses in their regional context; the coats of arms, balconies and roofs are specific features of the examples in the square.
The ruins of an old bridge are located near the Venta. Only the abutments and piers of its former structure remain. Abutments form a bridge’s outer ends, while piers support it between those ends. These two surviving structural elements therefore show exactly which parts of the former bridge remain.
The Camino Auzerabide
The Camino Auzerabide starts at the car park next to the Ultzama Valley town hall in Larraintzar. It is a 7.04-kilometre circular walking trail with a low difficulty rating and 144 metres of elevation gain. The circular route, distance, difficulty rating and elevation gain offer specific criteria for including the walk in your own excursion plans.
The trail passes through oak and beech forests, across meadows and through small villages with traditional houses. The route therefore includes both woodland and open spaces, as well as settlements. Anyone who values a variety of landscape features on a walk will find several of them on this same route. As trail conditions may change, check them before setting out.
Mushrooms and Events in the Ultzama Valley
At DĂa del Hongo, ecological talos with mushrooms are served in the Ultzama Valley. Bars and restaurants in the valley prepare mushroom pintxos; the food on offer may vary from one edition to another.
The programme for a previous edition of DĂa del Hongo also included a mushroom exhibition, tastings, craft stalls, a basket-weaving demonstration, rural sports and a raffle. Programme items may differ from one edition to another. Together with the regional food, they show that the event is not limited to mushroom dishes.
For an overview of the wider area: Ultzama.
