Hello Pinmapple friends!
Today we discover one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, Santillana del Mar, which is located in one of the green northern regions of Cantabria. And yes, it is a beautiful village, officially, because there is a list of beautiful towns in Spain named lospueblosmasbonitosdeespana.org, I already mentioned it in my previous article (Beautiful villages in Spain: San Vicente de la Barquera) and this time this emblematic town does appear on the list.
Santillana del Mar is famous for its history, we can see it watching the old houses everywhere and its name seems to tell us something that we may not remember from the past. Perhaps it is because very close to there is the famous site of Altamira, with its famous cave paintings, one of the oldest known. But to visit, even in a recreated or protected environment, you must make an appointment in advance. So for another trip it will be…
As we enter this village or "villa" in Spanish, this is how these small towns were called in the past (instead of "pueblo"). And as soon as we set foot, we put it on cobblestone streets, now wet because it has recently rained, and we have to be careful because it slips.
We pass over stones polished by the passage of many people before, and we look at the walls, thick stone walls that seem to accompany us throughout the route. What we see the most on a quiet day and not at all touristy are souvenir stalls, with famous and delicious products from this area ("quesadas", a juicy butter and cheese cake, the popular "sobaos" another type of soft cake, anchovies from the nearby Cantabrian Sea, good cow's milk cheeses ("quesos" in Spanish), because here in the fields you can see many cows). The world is still rural in many of its green corners.
We arrive at the monumental square after noticing a curious shack, perhaps a place where they watered the animals. On the other hand, narrow streets invite us to browse, but we continue straight ahead towards the Collegiate Church of Santillana del Mar.
A sturdy building, with strong walls, somewhat rough and serious in terms of decoration. Because in decoration around here the heraldic shields carved in the stone prevailed, and well now on some dates other more modern and picturesque decorations like that Pinocchio that appears from a nearby balcony.
We continue stepping on stones that guide us without having to think about where we are going, perhaps we will go far, as we discover a shell on the ground, an unequivocal symbol and sign that we are on the Camino de Santiago (Santiago's road) like the pilgrims. And as we walk we discover one of the most charismatic houses, with more vegetation on the balcony, with more life.
The more cobblestone streets we get further away and we see the green field again, it seems that it is going to rain again... we decide to get off the road and go towards the most open. Surprise, suddenly a few horses that despite being wet graze peacefully throughout that plain. I decide to come over to say hello to admire those beautiful animals, some covered by time but all with wet manes. They don't seem to care much.
Looking further around, we discover more, and we go another way, partly dirt to discover more grass and more horses. We have changed from an almost medieval setting of stone-colored monotony, to a place full of animals but also gardens with immense green vegetables, at their best moment.
But we turn around towards the center of the town again, and again another cobbled and humid main street, because they tell me that in summer it is filled with thousands of visitors and it becomes difficult to navigate, even more so when it is wet.
As the clouds lift, we discover other charming houses, but they are old, yet they boast the architectural style of the area, and we see other notable elements, which in their day would be an important part of the life of those who lived here. We also look at the signs and indications and walking almost to the outskirts, along the road the sign indicating the direction to Altamira, a visit that remains pending...
And on the other side, it is a bit sunny! what else, more green fields, and more animals, there are sheep and a cat, which is barely distinguishable. There seems to be only animal life now. And everything becomes strange, indeed it seems that we have traveled in time, towards a past that seemed to no longer exist, an environment that remains impassive, like the stone walls and that emanates life from different animals. Rural life is alive and so is history.
Soon... another beautiful village in Cantabria!
Thanks for reading! Have a natural and living day!
The text is totally mine by ©Duvinca and the photos are mine too