The Dolmen de Entrerríos is a Neolithic collective tomb dating from the 4th–3rd millennium BC. It forms part of a necropolis with five burial mounds and is associated with the burial practices of the first farming communities. The dolmen can be visited free of charge and is accessible on foot from the San Roque or Navedo areas. The Senda Área Recreativa de San Roque – Dolmen de Entrerríos is a 7.1-kilometre circular trail with 190 metres of positive elevation gain.
Anyone choosing Illano as a travel destination will want to rent an apartment there.
Nature
The Tejo de Pastur is designated as a natural monument by the Government of Asturias in Illano. The Alcornocales de Navia area encompasses Allande, Illano and Pesoz and features stands of cork oaks and oaks.
The Mirador de Folgueiróu can be reached via the AS-12 regional road and the Folgueiróu recreational area, two kilometres north of Illano. It offers sweeping views over a landscape shaped by nature and human activity. The Mirador de San Esteban de los Buitres offers views of the Navia valley, its deep rocky gorge and the villages in the Illano municipal area on the eastern slope. The Mirador de Tiracais can be reached on foot from Llombatín and offers views of the meanders of the River Navia.
Culture and History
San Esteban de los Buitres is an ethnographic ensemble protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest. Its houses are arranged along the rocky slope and connected by raised passageways known as Veiriles. The Couso de los Lobos de Bustelo is a circular wolf trap made of slate masonry, with walls approximately one metre thick and two to three metres high. The parish church of Nuestra Señora de Bullaso preserves an inscription in Visigothic letters from the 8th to the 10th century, arranged in a circle around a central cross. It also contains a 17th-century high altarpiece representing the popular Asturian Baroque style.
The Palacio de Monjardín is arranged around a porticoed courtyard supported by columns; its main façade has a central section between two three-storey towers. It was built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, remodelled in the 18th century and declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 2013. The Castro de El Castelón preserves visible fortifications, a moat, walls up to four metres high and the ruins of buildings in the upper settlement area. Its foundation is probably dated to the Iron Age, that is, the 4th–1st century BC; it was presumably used until the Roman period of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.
The Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Pastur preserves a popular Baroque altarpiece and several 17th-century sculptures, as well as a dressed image of the Virgin of Pastur from the 18th century. The sanctuary was built in 1665 in Pastur, a small village of the same name located a few kilometres from Illano, the municipal capital. The Iglesia de Santa Leocadia de Illano contains a Gothic figure of Saint John dating from the 14th or 15th century. The Church of Santa Leocadia is representative of the large number of churches, chapels and hermitages in Illano.
Things to Do
The Couso de los Lobos de Bustelo can be reached via a signposted turn-off near the village and then on foot along a descending forest path. The Ruta del Puente Colgante begins at the Área Recreativa de Folgueiróu on the AS-12 in the municipality of Illano.
The Braña de San Roque preserves traditional livestock shelters and enclosures and continues to be used to some extent for farming and livestock keeping. The Área Recreativa de Folgueiróu has a bar-restaurant, a children's area, a bowling alley, a football pitch, a clay pigeon shooting range, picnic areas, a municipal swimming pool and a tourist information centre.
Festivals and Cuisine
The Romería de San Roque is celebrated in Navedo on 16 August. The Romería de Nuestra Señora de Pastur is one of the festivals mentioned in connection with Illano. Venera, an almond and egg cake, is considered a characteristic dessert of the municipalities along the Navia.
The local page Cedemonio offers further information.
