Figueruela de Arriba brings together landscape, church architecture and local traditions, offering several clear themes to help you plan your trip. The municipality is part of the Sierra de la Culebra Regional Hunting Reserve; the parish church of Santa Irene and the dated traditions add specific cultural themes to the area’s natural appeal. You can choose different priorities for your trip: landscape and mushroom-related themes, architectural and local history, or a trip centred around one of the festival dates.
Landscape and mushroom-related themes
The Sierra de la Culebra covers 65,891 hectares and is a Regional Hunting Reserve with gently undulating terrain. The municipality of Figueruela de Arriba is also part of the reserve. The Sierra’s forests offer opportunities for mycological tourism; this theme is associated with various types of porcini and Caesar’s mushrooms. The landscape and interest in mycology thus provide two distinct nature-related themes to consider when planning your trip.
Church, history and routes
The parish church of Santa Irene is built of granite masonry and has a semicircular apse and three naves. The apse is the semicircular end of the church building; the three naves divide the church interior. Historically, Figueruela de Arriba belonged to the Cistercian monastery of Granja de Moreruela in the 13th century. The monastery’s administration continued in Ficarola, identified with Figueruela, at least until the 16th century. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Figueruela was a parish belonging to Nuez.
The routes associated with the area also differ in scale. The 97-kilometre long-distance route GR-117 “Via Augusta XVII” runs through Vinhais, Bragança, Río Manzanas (Nuez), Figueruela de Arriba and Otero de Bodas. The Iglesia de Santa Irene is also associated with the Ruta Noroeste, Stage I “Etapa Aliste”. While the GR-117 follows a route through several places, the Ruta Noroeste specifically refers to the church and a particular stage.
Traditions and accommodation
The tradition dates range from the second Sunday in May to 26 December. In the municipality of Figueruela de Arriba, La Petisqueira is associated with the second Sunday in May. The Santa Irene festival is associated with 20 August, the Fiesta del Tizón with All Saints’ Day, and Los Carochos and the Obisparra with 26 December. For specific travel plans around a festival date, check the local programme.
Villarino Manzanas, a locality in the municipality of Figueruela de Arriba, lies in the Sierra de la Culebra on the banks of the Manzanas River. The traditional blessing of the fields at La Petisqueira connects Villarino Manzanas with Petisqueira, a hamlet in the Portuguese municipality of Braganza. La Petisqueira is therefore associated not only with a date, but also with a cross-border connection.
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Discover more destinations: Puebla De Sanabria, Losacino, Samir De Los Caños, Villadepera, Cobreros, Ferreras de Arriba, Linarejos, San Justo
For the broader travel overview: Zamora.
