Discover Ayerbe: Culture, Festivals and Circular Routes

Culture and History

At the northern edge of Ayerbe’s town centre stands the Torre de San Pedro, a Romanesque tower dating from the 12th century. It is the last surviving remnant of the former Colegiata de San Pedro, which had to be demolished in the 19th century because it was at risk of collapse. In 1924, the tower was declared a historical-artistic monument, and since 2003 it has been listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural.

The former house in Ayerbe where Santiago Ramón y Cajal spent part of his childhood and youth now houses the Centro de Interpretación Ramón y Cajal, which presents his life and work.

The Palacio de los Urriés stands in the centre of Ayerbe and is an example of palatial Renaissance architecture in Aragón.

The Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Casbas is a monument classified by the Gobierno de Aragón as a Bien de Interés Cultural; guided tours are offered through the town of Ayerbe.

Ayerbe’s Baroque clock tower was built in 1798–1799 to house the town’s clock.

More places to include in your travel plans: Banastás, Loarre, Sopeira, Sesué, Fraga, Aguascaldas, Santoréns and Barbastro.

Festivals and Traditions

The Santa Leticia festival has been regarded as Ayerbe’s main festival since 1549 and is celebrated around 9 September with a procession, a Comparsa featuring giants and big-head figures, charangas, pyrotechnic fire bulls and other events.

Holy Week in Ayerbe includes a re-enactment of Jesus’ final hours and the Enclavación de Jesús; this performance has been declared a Fiesta de Interés Turístico in Aragón.

Experiences

The Caminata en la Flor del Almendro offers three circular route options: 11.78 km with an easy difficulty level, 17.72 km with an easy difficulty level and 30.4 km with a moderate difficulty level.

The Ruta de las Ermitas in Ayerbe offers circular route options of 12.53 km and 18.33 km, both classified as easy.

For planning purposes, the routes can be compared based on their length and stated difficulty level.

The routes can therefore be compared not only by distance but also by their stated difficulty level: the Caminata includes two easy options and one moderate option, while the Ruta de las Ermitas lists only easy circular routes. This makes the different route profiles within the two offerings visible without assuming any additional characteristics.

Around ten minutes from Ayerbe, the Río Gállego offers numerous white-water activities such as rafting, hydrospeed, canorafting and kayaking.

Landscape and Cuisine

The area around Ayerbe, or more specifically the Reino de los Mallos, lies on the northern side of a climatic transition zone between the Mediterranean and Atlantic climates.

This transition zone gives rise to a great diversity of ecosystems, fauna and flora, as well as a geological composition that is unique in the world.

Examples of the deeply rooted traditional cuisine of the Hoya de Huesca include Sopas afogadas de Ayerbe, made with bread, egg and oil.

For the overarching travel overview: Huesca.