Villanueva De Aezkoa – Culture, Nature and Discoveries

A first special point of interest is the Gibelea Dolmen, which can be visited from Villanueva de Aézcoa. Villanueva de Aézcoa is considered a traditional Aezkoan village with paved streets. For your visit, the villagescape, religious architecture, natural environment and places to explore can be considered as separate focal points alongside one another.

When booking a holiday apartment in Villanueva de Aézcoa, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions may reflect different personal priorities. Which of these details matters in an individual case depends on one's own plans; they are presented as separate pieces of information alongside one another.

Culture

The parish church of San Salvador was built in the Middle Ages in the Gothic style and has a single-nave layout, a ribbed vault and a pointed-arch portal. The high altarpiece of San Salvador is a Renaissance work by Juan de Gaztelúzar and Ambrosio de Bengoechea, valued in 1606.

Casa Arrese, also known as Arrese Etxea or Casa del Indiano, has a monumental ashlar-stone façade and arcades. The protected traditional granaries of Villanueva de Aézcoa include Hórreo Reka; it is recognized as an Asset of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural). A hórreo associated with Hiriberri / Villanueva de Aezkoa was declared a monument and an Asset of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural) in 1993.

The craft tradition of woodworking also includes a small chair called a katedra, intended for use by the fire.

San Salvador, Casa Arrese and the two hórreos connect different cultural points of interest: medieval religious architecture, a monumental ashlar-stone façade, traditional granaries and the designation as an Asset of Cultural Interest. Natural features include the Irati Biosphere Region, the river system of the Irati, Urrobi and Erro, and Ariztibarrena with its oak trees. Petxuberro, Berrendi and the Gibelea Dolmen add individual places to explore to these themes. Those who wish to consider culture and nature separately will find clearly defined points of reference in Villanueva de Aézcoa: San Salvador and Casa Arrese on the one hand, and Ariztibarrena and Petxuberro on the other.

Nature

Hiriberri / Villanueva de Aezkoa is one of the municipalities in the Aezkoa Valley located in the Irati Biosphere Region, which was recognized on July 5, 2024. Villanueva de Aézcoa is one of the nine municipalities in the Aezkoa Valley listed within the official Selva de Irati destination area.

The village belongs to the river system of the Irati, Urrobi and Erro rivers, which extends across several municipalities in northeastern Navarre. Up to seven different habitat types of Community interest have been recorded in this river system. The Ariztibarrena Integral Protected Area covers 500 hectares and features a great diversity of plants and animals among the oak trees.

When planning a visit, the river environment, habitat types and protected area can be presented as separate natural themes alongside one another.

Discoveries

The area on Mount Petxuberro known as “La era de las brujas” is visited; from there, most of the villages in the Aezkoa Valley can be seen. From Hiriberri-Villanueva, it is possible to go caving in the Berrendi area.

Other Places

Other destinations included in this shared selection of places are Leoz, Olite, Ayegui, Enériz, Ardaitz, Lesaka, Zabalceta and Azuelo.

For the broader travel overview: Navarre.