Holiday apartment in Cotariello – Culture and the Camino Primitivo

Cotariello is associated with ethnography and Asturian villages; the traditional Asturian name of the place is Cotariellu. At the same time, Cotariello belongs to the Comarca Vaqueira, which is named after the vaqueiros de alzada. For travel planning, two distinct perspectives stand side by side: cultural and local history, and routes in the Comarca Vaqueira.

Culture and History

In 1719, an annual payment of 14 copinos of escanda bread was agreed for land in Cotariello. A plot belonging to Cotariello was referred to in the same year as “Nadiello” or “Llamo”. The payment thus specifies not only the year, but also the quantity and the specific natural product. The land designation refers to a single plot in Cotariello. The local history therefore includes both a specific payment arrangement and a traditional name for a particular piece of land.

Cotariello has a significant number of hórreos. In 2005, seven hórreos were counted in Cotariello. Together with its association with ethnography and Asturian villages, the view of Cotariello remains closely connected with the traditional forms of the place.

In Salas stands the 16th-century collegiate church of Santa María La Mayor; it contains the mausoleum of the founder of the University of Oviedo. The Museo Prerrománico San Martín de Salas preserves pieces and epigraphic tomb slabs from the church of San Martín. The church, mausoleum, museum pieces and tomb slabs represent different specific testimonies in Salas, without falling into a single type of building or collection.

Routes

La Espina, the parish of Cotariello, forms part of the third stage of the Camino Primitivo between Salas and Tinéu. The stage is 19.73 km long and runs along paved road edges, dirt tracks and gravel paths. Both the specified length and the changing surfaces are therefore important when assessing this route; the Camino section can be viewed as a separate travel component alongside the cultural attractions.

In the Comarca Vaqueira, cycling routes also follow paths that the vaqueiros de alzada, transhumant livestock herders, have traditionally used. The reference to the vaqueiros de alzada connects the cycling routes with the regional name. Those who consider culture and activity side by side will therefore find various themes here: local history, religious heritage, a museum collection, a connection to a stage of the route, and paths with a regional historical connection.

Travel Planning

A holiday apartment in Cotariello can be viewed as a separate practical part of travel planning. The respective listing pages show travel dates, room category and cancellation policies side by side; this information enables an objective comparison of different options without conflating accommodation with the cultural and active aspects of the place.

Other places: Trevías, Ballota, Novellana, Oneta, Calleras, Faedo, Millara, Andés

For the wider travel overview: Comarca Vaqueira.