Abiego: Culture, Trails and Nature in Somontano

In Abiego, the Monumento al Siglo XX is located about 1 kilometre from the town centre and consists of 20 granite steles by Ulrich Rükriem. Its artistic landscape incorporates the surrounding mountains, native woodland, cultivated areas and settlement.

When looking for a holiday apartment in Abiego, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on accommodation websites. In addition, you can consider which of the cultural, trail and nature themes described should shape your own stay.

Culture

The traditional houses of Somontano in Abiego have walls made of brick, clay and rammed earth on sturdy stone foundations. Some façades feature well-preserved coats of arms and epigraphic inscriptions.

At the highest point of Abiego stands the Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor, a 16th-century church in the late Aragonese rural Gothic style. Among the contemporary churches in Somontano, it is the only one with a Latin-cross floor plan.

The site of the Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor developed during the Reconquista from an Arab mosque and castle into a Christian fortress. The Convento de San Joaquín is an 18th-century Baroque building located on the hill known as Tozal de las Forcas.

Smaller details also form part of the townscape: the Fuente pública de Abiego is decorated at its water outlets with mask-like figures. At the boundary of the municipal area are two bridge abutments that may be Roman; downstream there is a weir and another bridge whose origins may also be Roman.

Trails

For planning purposes, the trails described can be distinguished by mode of transport and landscape theme. The Ruta de la Cabañera can be travelled on foot or by mountain bike, except for the ascent to Sevil.

The circular Ruta Vuelta a Abiego passes through holm oaks and olive and almond groves, offering panoramic views of Guara and the valleys of the Isuala and Alcanadre rivers. Another route, Abiego–Puente de Famiñosa–Ajuntadero del Formiga, leads to the medieval bridge of Famiñosa and the confluence of the Formiga and Alcanadre rivers.

Other places

Other places: Laluenga, Adahuesca, Laspaúles, Lanaja, Olsón, El Pueyo De Araguás, Huesca and Morillo De Liena.

Nature and geological history

The section of the Río Alcanadre near Abiego has a fishing area with abundant brown trout in surroundings of pools and bozos. The area around Abiego is considered attractive for birdwatching.

More than 1,000 fossilised mammal footprints have been found at the La Fondota palaeontological site. The tracks found there date from 35 to 40 million years ago, when Abiego had a muddy area and a lake where animals came to drink.

The Parque Natural de la Sierra y los Cañones de Guara features karst formations such as sinkholes, caves, shafts and gorges.

To the higher-level travel overview: Huesca.