Eight towns are celebrating their 10th anniversary in the network
24 Sept 2026 · 07:40
September 24, 2026
In 2016, eight villages joined the network of Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España. Ten years later, they remain part of it. Each is beautiful in its own way: there is a village of just a few houses in Asturias, a walled town in the Rioja Alavesa, a city on the border with Portugal, and a white mountain village in Córdoba. What they share is having taken care, for a decade, of what made them join in the first place.
There are eight villages and eight provinces, spread across the Association's four regions. Four are in the North region —Torazu, Liérganes, Laguardia and Peñalba de Santiago—, two in the Center —Sepúlveda and Ciudad Rodrigo—, Sos del Rey Católico in the East and Zuheros in the South.
XIV National Assembly · Alcúdia
A memento for the mayors
The Association wants these ten years to be something tangible. For this reason, it will present the mayors of these eight villages with a commemorative memento of this decade in the network. It will be presented at the XIV National Assembly of Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España, which will be held in Alcúdia (Mallorca) from October 23 to 25, 2026.
The eight are Torazu (Asturias), Liérganes (Cantabria), Laguardia (Álava), Peñalba de Santiago (León), Sepúlveda (Segovia), Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca), Sos del Rey Católico (Zaragoza) and Zuheros (Córdoba).
Torazu
Cabranes, Asturias · North region
Torazu, in Cabranes (Asturias).
In Cabranes, on a gentle plateau, Torazu seems like a village that has chosen to live in its own light. Colorful galleries, hórreos (granaries), stone, and a care for the common good that is noticeable in every corner. It is one of the smallest villages in the network, and one of those that best demonstrates what it means to conserve: not adding, not covering up, not rushing.
Liérganes
Cantabria · North region
Liérganes, at the foot of Marimón and Cotillamón.
Liérganes is stone, wood, and flowers. Its urban ensemble, declared a site of historical-artistic interest in 1978, preserves the architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries, which arrived with the rise of the old artillery factory. The village sits at the foot of Marimón and Cotillamón, and the legend of the Fish-Man is still told here: Francisco de la Vega, who was born in the town.
Laguardia
Álava, Rioja Alavesa · North region
The wall of Laguardia, at dusk.
Laguardia occupies, in the heart of the Rioja Alavesa, a hill that looks like the bow of a ship over the valley. Within the walls, three long, narrow streets preserve the medieval layout. Beneath the houses lie the wine cellars excavated into the rock. All around, the vineyards stretch as far as the eye can see.
Peñalba de Santiago
León, Valle del Silencio · Northern region
Mozarabic church of Santiago, in Peñalba de Santiago.
The journey is the story itself: the Valle del Silencio, oak groves, water, and a stillness that feels like another century. Peñalba de Santiago stands atop the crag that gives it its name. Above the village houses lies the church of Santiago, in the Mozarabic style, declared a National Monument in 1931. When it snows, the village is left alone with the mountain. And that is when it is most like itself.
Sepúlveda
Segovia · Central region
Church of El Salvador, in Sepúlveda.
They call it the town of the seven keys. Sepúlveda looks out over the Hoces del Duratón from breathtaking viewpoints: the canyon, the river down below, the stone in the sun. In the village, the Romanesque—the church of El Salvador among others—, the charters, the palaces, and a light that Segovia knows well.
Ciudad Rodrigo
Salamanca · Central region
Cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo.
Just a few kilometers from Portugal, Ciudad Rodrigo has always lived facing the border. It is a walled city of golden stone, with a cathedral presiding over the town center and Roman columns that today form part of its coat of arms. Here, history is not kept away: it is in the square, in the wall, and in the way the city remains the heart of its land.
Sos del Rey Católico
Zaragoza, Cinco Villas · Eastern region
Sos del Rey Católico, on the peña Feliciana.
Sos del Rey Católico rises above the peña Feliciana, in the Cinco Villas. The castle crowns the height; further down was the medieval Jewish quarter. The walled enclosure is still standing, a place that was once between Aragon and Navarre. Ferdinand the Catholic was born in this town. The village carries that name without raising its voice: it is enough for it to simply exist.
Zuheros
Córdoba, Sierras Subbéticas · Southern region
Zuheros, between the castle and the olive groves of the Sierras Subbéticas.
Zuheros is white against the rock, on the border between the Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park and Geopark and the Cordovan countryside. Narrow streets, small squares, and in the background, the mountain range, the cliffs, and the olive groves. The castle watches over the village from above. Ten years later, it still feels as though time has passed the village by, with care.
The Association
The Asociación Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España, created in 2010, certifies and supports those villages that have managed to preserve their heritage, their landscape, and their way of life. Today, the network brings together 126 villages and is organized into four regions: North, Center, East, and South.
These eight are now celebrating their first decade. In October, in Alcúdia, their mayors will receive this commemorative token. The village, as always, remains where it has always been: in its valley, by its walls, on its crag.