Alava consist of several regions grouped together under the one name. There are the green valleys of the north and the vines of the south. The tranquil reservoirs and the spectacular waterfalls. But we mustn’t forget the beautiful capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, and the welter of small villages just waiting to be discovered.
A land of contrast in the province least resembling the other two. Yet another reason for visiting an area with countless open spaces and monuments.
Alava is different. A series of distinguishing features set it apart from the other two of the three provinces making up the Basque Autonomous Community. An assortment of landscapes not to be found in Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, a number of historical monuments reflecting its past use as a place of passage as opposed to the relative isolation of the north, the greater importance of the agricultural sector, a different demographic structure and even a different climate, all define the outstanding beauty of Alava.
Contrary to the other two provinces in which the population is spread over the entire area, the people of Alava mainly live in the capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, residence of over three-quarters of the local inhabitants.
With the exception of the occasional area dedicated to industry (Llodio-Laudio, Amurrio, etc.), Alava basically consists of small, rural villages dotted over the area with relatively few inhabitants. That’s why this province has so many important natural areas which, as a result of this scarce industrialisation - the industrial revolution of Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa has never taken place in Alava, to which buffered development only arrived well into the 20th century - are still in very good condition. These areas include the Valderejo Nature Reserve, Entzia and Izki, the lakes of Laguardia and the three nature reserves shared with the provinces of the north: Gorbeia, Urkiola and Aizkorri.
The variety of landscape in this inland territory is determined by the three mountain ranges running through the area from east to west. The one located furthest north marks the border between Alava and the valleys of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia while maintaining the same landscape, with green vales running between beech and oak-coated mountains flecked with farmhouses and cattle.
Between the sierras of the north and a second line of mountains slicing through the centre of the province is a vast plain, known as the Llanada alavesa, a land of transition in which we can already appreciate the colours of the southern plains. Further south, the Sierra de Cantabria is the last natural obstacle before entering the lowlands of the Rioja alavesa, home of the vineyards stretching to the Ebro valley, where the landscape moulds into the Castilian meseta.
This mixture of landscape and biology goes handin- hand with climatic diversity. The northern strip of Alava is therefore mild and humid, i.e. oceanic, while the lands of the south have continental, dry weather and more extreme temperatures. The Llanada alavesa is once again a land of transition as far as climate is concerned and suffers from cold winters.
The early presence of man in both the mountains and valleys of the south is obvious from the abundance of prehistoric remains ranging from the dolmens of the Chabola de la Hechicera (Elvillar, in the Rioja alavesa) and Aizkomendi (Egilaz, in the Llanada alavesa) to the community of La Hoya, inhabited during the Iron Age.
Its easy access in comparison to the mountainous provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia means that Alava has always been a place of passage open to the influence of different peoples and cultures. The Romans, who never actually settled in the Atlantic valleys, set down roots in the Llanada alavesa on what was then one of their most important thoroughfares, the Astorga-Bordeaux road. The Oppidum de Iruña is one of the main relics of Roman presence and was partly responsible for agricultural development in the Ebro valley.
Christianisation and Latinisation planted their earliest seeds in this same territory. The Muslim invasion, which spread as far as southern Alava, established the province as a link on the chain between Christianity and Islam. The fortified villages of the Rioja alavesa demonstrate the endeavours, formerly of the kings of Navarre and subsequently by those of Castile, to institute a permanent line of defence in the area.
The Llanada has always been a busy natural corridor, often used by pilgrims in the Middle Ages as one of the alternative itineraries on the road to Santiago de Compostela. Examples of Gothic art are therefore often to be found in different parts of Alava, as are mansions in Renaissance and Baroque styles.
While nobility gained power during the Middle Ages, the boroughs joined forces in an effort to curb escalating banditry. But the lands of Alava were also affected by the warring between different lineages that was to set the Basque Country on edge. Several tower-houses still stand today, including that of the Ayala lineage, in Quejana, or that of the Mendoza family, near Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Administratively separated into cuadrillas –historical regional institutions– Alava can be divided into six natural areas: Llanada alavesa, Valle de Ayala, Gorbeia-Aramaio, Kuartango-Valdegovía, Rioja alavesa and Montaña alavesa.
Limited to the north by the Sierras de Urkilla and Elgea, and to the south by the Sierra de Entzia and the mountains of Iturrieta, the Llanada alavesa is a wide corridor through which pilgrims would make their way from Gipuzkoa to Santiago de Compostela after having come through the tunnel of San Adrián in the Aizkorri mountain range.
Today it is no longer the road to Santiago, but rather the N-1 from Irun to Madrid that runs through this central region, presided over by its capital, VITORIA-GASTEIZ, the suburbs of which house the basilica of Nuestra Señora de Estíbaliz, patron saint of Alava. This 12th century temple, standing atop the hills that dominate the plain, is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in the Basque Country. Outstanding on the other side of Vitoria-Gasteiz are the silhouettes of the Mendoza and Martioda towers, fortifications related to two of the area’s most powerful families who spent the Middle Ages fighting against one another.
Noteworthy to the east of the plain is SALVATIERRA/ AGURAIN, with its medieval old quarter and numerous mansions. The nearby Aizkomendi dolmens in EGUILAZ-EGILATZ, and Sorginetxe, in ARRIZALA, date from earlier periods.
Another interesting place to the north of Salvatierra- Agurain is ZALDUONDO, the parish church of which, San Saturnino de Tolosa, has a number of elements dedicated to Saint James. The local carnival, the star of which is a character known as “Markitos”, is among the most typical in the Basque Country. Standing between Zalduondo and ARRAIA-MAEZTU is the 10th century Romanesque hermitage of San Julián y Santa Basilisa, one of the oldest in Alava. The Cistercian monastery of Santa María de BARRIA is another of the valley’s historical elements.
One of the most attractive parts of Alava is the area encompassing the Ullibarri and Urrunaga reservoirs. Created for providing water to Vitoria- Gasteiz and Bilbao, these artificial lakes, now the biggest wetlands in the Basque Country, have become real leisure centres at which to practise water sports or observe aquatic birds. Standing on their banks is Garaio nature reserve, not far from GUEVARA, and the ruins of what was one of the most impressive castles in Alava, that of the Guevara family.
To the north of these reservoirs is ARAMAIO VALLEY, an area concealed by the mountains with scattered neighbourhoods, magnificent farmhouses and a carefully tended natural environment.
People have even been known to refer to the area as “the Basque Switzerland”.
