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Larra-Belagoa |
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 A
spectacular, sharp, rocky, mountainous landscape,
the Karst of Larra is a stunning example of
the struggle for survival. Lightning, snow
and strong winds have shaped an inhospitable
landscape of twisted trees and adaptable fauna... |
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Queso
de Roncal |
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 The
Roncal cheese Guarantee of Origin was awarded
in 1981 and covers the 7 villages in the Valley.
It is a measure which aims to... |
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Timber
rafts |
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 Up
until 1950, the rivers of the entire Pyrenean
region saw their waters challenged by risk-taking
individuals who transported timber from the
Pyrenean woods to destinations as far away
as Zaragoza or Tortosa... |
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Gayarre |
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 The
tenor Julian Gayarre was born on the 9th of
January 1844 in the village of Roncal. After
working as a shepherd, he left his job in
Pamplona, captivated by the music of a band
which played in the street. He joined the
Pamplona Orfeon... |
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Larra-Belagoa |
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A
spectacular, sharp, rocky, mountainous landscape,
the Karst of Larra is a stunning example of
the struggle for survival. Lightning, snow
and strong winds have shaped an inhospitable
landscape of twisted trees and adaptable fauna.
In the north-easternmost reaches of Navarre,
the Alpine ecosystem of Larra is a unique
geomorphologic and ecological area. It houses
the highest mountains in Navarre and, with
a surface area of 120 km2, it is one of the
largest karstic areas in Europe, complete
with potholes and cavities (S. Martin reaches
a depth of 1340 m).
Its highest point: Mesa de los Tres Reyes
2442 m.
And the deepest: The pothole of Contienda
(240 m) and that of San Martín, which
for years held the world record in terms of
depth, at 1340 m.
The massif, formed by cretaceous limestone,
is folded, faulted, broken and shaped by water
and ice. This gives way to a torturous landscape
modelled over millions of years of different
climatic cycles, ranging from subtropical
to glacial.
Heavy precipitation, often in the form of
snow, exceeds 1500 l/m2 a year. The water
seeps in through the fissured rock, mining,
dissolving and flowing through underground
galleries to the Valley of Santa Grazi on
the north face.
The surface is covered with open woodland
with Spanish pines twisted by the wind, beech
trees, service berries and short grass filling
hollows. The northern slopes of green grassland
on the north face contrast with the proud,
naked summits of the Pyrenees. Only rare,
specialised flora and fauna thrive in conditions
as harsh as these. Rare Alpine flowers, squirrels,
dormice, chamois and a good number of birds
are the principle inhabitants of this inhospitable
place.
Lower down, the extraordinary beauty of the
Valley of Belagoa makes the area a must for
visitors. |
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Roncal
cheese |
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The
Roncal cheese Guarantee of Origin was awarded
in 1981 and covers the 7 villages in the Valley.
It is a measure which aims to:
- ensure the quality inherent in a specific
way of making cheese using full “latxa”
and “rasa” ewe’s
milk and subjecting it to a long maturing
process.
- find a means by which to develop the sector
in such a way as to defend a culture and social
environment heavily linked to sheep farming. |
| Roncal cheese is outstanding: cylindrical,
with a thick rind, compact, pale yellow in
colour, fragile when cut, closed but peppered
with small pores. It has a pronounced, sturdy,
slightly sharp, clearly defined taste. |
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Timber rafts |
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| Up
until 1950, the rivers of the entire Pyrenean
region saw their waters challenged by risk-taking
individuals who transported timber from
the Pyrenean woods to destinations as far
away as Zaragoza or Tortosa.
The work of these men, the “almadieros”,
followed a long production process; in addition
to transporting the timber downstream, they
were also responsible for felling the trees
with hand saws and axes, cleaning them of
branches and bark, and dragging them with
the help of mules to the riverbank. There,
they made their rafts by joining trunks
together into platforms of ten to fifteen
trunks apiece to form each section of the
raft. The width of the rafts was limited
by the width of the rivers they were to
descend: in Roncal, they were four metres
wide.
Nowadays, nearest Sunday to the 1st of May
Day of the “Almadía”
is celebrated in Burgui. Timber rafts are
directed downstream as a tribute to one
of the Pyrenees' most traditional and emblematic
activities, now in disuse. The main event
is complemented by exhibitions, crafts,
dances, a public lunch and the presence
of a local personality.
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Gayarre |
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The
tenor Julian Gayarre was born on the 9th of
January 1844 in the village of Roncal. After
working as a shepherd, he left his job in
Pamplona, captivated by the music of a band
which played in the street. He joined the
Pamplona Orfeón in 1864 almost by chance,
surprising everyone with the beauty of his
timbre. He made his debut in 1866 in France’s
Theatre Lyrique with Meyerbeer’s "The
African maid". It was success from then
on. He had gained recognition as one of the
greatest opera singers of all time when, on
the 2nd of January 1890, during a performance
of Bizet’s “Pearl fishers”,
his voice finally cracked. He died of influenza
soon afterwards at the age of 46.
Existing documentation about the life of the
tenor confirms that the present which Julián
Gayarre made to his different friends throughout
the world was a Roncal cheese: a wonderful
anecdote.
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