Discover Navelgas: Gold History, Trails and Local Cuisine

Navelgas is the gateway to the Roman Gold Route. The town is home to the Museo del Oro de Asturias, dedicated to gold and its history in Asturias. The museum is housed in the restored Casona Capalleja in the San Nicolás district, next to the old bridge. The Casona de Capalleja, also known today as Casa de Nicolás, was built in 1842. It preserves a typical kitchen of the region with a Llar and a stone oven. The parish church of San Juan has a Latin cross floor plan and was remodelled in the 19th century.

A holiday apartment in Navelgas can be assessed based on travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions. The respective listing pages therefore provide three specific details for personal comparison. Comparing different periods or room categories allows these details to be considered separately from the local attractions, with the choice based on the stated conditions.

Culture and History

In 2003, Navelgas received the “Pueblo Ejemplar de Asturias” award for its collective and continuous efforts to recover and preserve local traditions and natural resources. In Navelgas de Arriba, the original centre of what is now Navelgas, there is an ethnographic ensemble consisting of 15 Paneras and 2 Hórreos.

Experiences

The Museo del Oro de Asturias’s daily gold-panning workshop introduces visitors to the basic techniques of gold panning. In the adjacent basin, participants search for and find the gold nuggets hidden in a bucket of sand provided for this purpose. The building housing the Museo del Oro de Asturias also contains Navelgas’s tourist information office. The Senda Verde del Brezo begins near Navelgas’s old bridge on the Navelgas River in the San Nicolás district and runs immediately alongside the building that houses the Museo del Oro de Asturias. The Ruta del Escayo begins on the outskirts of Navelgas and can be walked as a circular route through its connection with the La Huella del Oro trail (PR-AS 195).

Landscape

The Roman gold mines of Navelgas belong to a gold-bearing complex that was exploited through underground channels; these channels are still visible today. The area of Roman gold mining in Navelgas forms a lunar landscape with numerous Aguaderas, caves and bare rocks. When planning the day, historical visits, practical gold panning and trails through the terrain can be considered as separate focal points.

The places and activities described appeal to different interests: history and architecture stand alongside a practical activity, trails through the terrain, unusual landscape formations and culinary festival moments. These focal points can be considered separately when planning the day, without any single item determining the stay.

Further Places

More places to discover: Tuña, Espinaredo, Bustiello, Baradal, Naraval, Tineo

Festivals and Cuisine

Esfoyón y Amagosto includes roasted chestnuts and freshly pressed sweet cider. At the Festividad del Esfoyón y Amagosto, Frixuelos as well as Bollo and an Empanada baked in the "forno" are offered for tasting.

To the higher-level travel overview: Tineo.