Peñalba de Santiago

Hermits drawn by the isolation of the Aquilianos mountains gave this Bierzo hamlet its reason to exist, and its slate-roofed stone houses still huddle round the church founded by Saint Gennadius in the 10th century. Set at 1,100 metres beside the Valley of Silence, it is one of the best-kept examples of the region's mountain architecture and a starting point for many walking routes.

Highlights

• Iglesia de Santiago de Peñalba, a 10th-century Mozarabic church
• The cave of San Genadio, where the saint lived as a hermit
• Walks in the Valle del Silencio beneath the Aquilianos peaks (ES)
• Roman water channels on the river Oza, built for the Las Médulas gold mine
• The Fiesta Mozárabe, re-enacting King Ramiro II's gift of the Cross of Peñalba

Text adapted from Wikipedia (Peñalba de Santiago). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.