The Ribeira Sacra translates as the "Sacred Shore". This related to the vineyards which are planted on the steep slopes of the valleys and canyons of the rivers Miño and Sil. It is some of the most beautiful, heart breaking, densely forested, precipitous areas I have seen, and nothing like anyone would expect coming from Spain. Dense forests of chestnut, oak, with rocks and vineyards scattered throughout.
The authorised white varieties are: Albariño, Godello, Treixadura, Loureira, Torrontés and Dona Branca, though the first three are the most predominant. The authorised red varieties are: Mencía, Grand noir, Brancellao and Merenzao.
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| The roads are narrow, windy and beautiful, but probably a little scary in bad weather. |
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| The houses are mostly made of stone, some from centuries old, many remain in tact. |
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| We drove and then walked to a nearly dead village to a beautiful view point. The river is dark and moody here. |
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| This hasn't been photoshopped it just has these amazing shadows and shades. |
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| In winter you could imagine it is quite wet and cool here, the moss and lichens suggest it too. |
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| The path from the lookout back to the village |
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| Galicia is home of many dying villages, the most dead villages in all of the Spanish states. This village was just like the rest. You would find buildings in many states of death. |
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| Left by families when older relatives died, there still remains morsels of their past. |
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| Without maintenance the roofs often cave in. |
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