Ezcaray

The valley around Ezcaray has been inhabited since the Neolithic period — polished stone axes and a cave dwelling have been found nearby. Pre-Roman Berones tribes lived here before Roman colonists arrived and built a settlement at the foot of San Torcuato hill, leaving behind coins from Trajan's era and burial mounds. After the Visigoths and then the Muslim invasion of 711, which left the valley largely depopulated, the first king of Pamplona, Sancho Garcés I, reclaimed it.

The town was formally founded by Navarrese kings to repopulate the frontier zone. Its name comes from the Basque *haitz-garai*, meaning "high rock," referring to the 200-metre San Torcuato crag at the valley entrance. Basque was spoken here long after it died out in the lowlands of La Rioja.

In 1076 the town passed to Castile. A royal charter followed in 1312, and the valley eventually came under the lordship of the Manrique de Lara family. In the 18th century, the Marquis of Ensenada established the Real Fábrica de Paños de Santa Bárbara here, drawing workers from across Spain, the Basque Country, Catalonia, and Belgium, and transforming the town's economy.

Ezcaray's most significant building is the Church of Santa María la Mayor, a Gothic Aragonese structure — the only example of that style in La Rioja — built over an earlier Romanesque church. Its main altarpiece is notable, and the sacristy houses a museum of carved figures gathered from the surrounding villages. The church was declared a national monument in 1967.

The Real Fábrica de Santa Bárbara, founded in 1752 and named after Fernando VI's wife, Bárbara de Braganza, was granted royal company status in 1773 under Carlos III. After a fire in 1785, the dye house — known as El Fuerte — was rebuilt in fireproof materials. The factory has since been converted into a pilgrim hostel and was declared a monument in 1992.

Other notable buildings include the Palacio del Ángel, with its rococo coat of arms and ceramic image of San Miguel; the Palacio de Barroeta; and the 17th-century Ermita de la Virgen de Allende, which contains 1706 mural paintings and a collection of "Angel Arquebusier" paintings donated by the Archbishop of Lima. The Ermita de Santa Bárbara, on the hilltop of the same name, occupies the site of a medieval watchtower. The town's vernacular architecture is also distinctive, with three-storey stone houses in which the ground floor served as a stable.

The nearest international airport is Bilbao, about 123 km north; the regional airport at Logroño connects to Madrid and Barcelona. Direct links from either airport to Ezcaray are limited, so a car is the most practical option — Haro is a 20-minute drive, Bilbao under two hours, and Madrid 314 km. Buses run to Ezcaray from Logroño, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, and Haro.

The pedestrianised town centre has several shops including a local speciality store, a vegetable shop, and a butcher, plus grocery stores suited to self-catering. Restaurant El Portal in the Hotel Echaurren holds a Michelin star, with an extensive local Rioja wine list at reasonable prices. For drinks, the Troika Lounge is recommended.