Ribadesella is a coastal municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, in northern Spain. It was founded by Alfonso X, King of Castile, in the 13th century, and it has a wonderful variety of landscapes. The Sella River runs through the municipality surrounded by lush green vegetation and high mountains, and it flows into the Cantabrian Sea. The Santa Marina beach is shaped like a shell, while the La Atalaya beach is a smaller cove.
From prehistoric findings in caves in the area, it is known that Ribadesella was inhabited since the Palaeolithic. The Tito Bustillo cave preserves cave paintings and dinosaur footprints. However, the municipality was formally founded in the 13th century, by Alfonso X, King of Castile. In medieval times, it prospered thanks to maritime trade and fishing.
Currently Ribadesella is an interesting tourist destination for practicing sports such as rowing, caving or climbing, but it is also a very popular destination for a famous event that takes place on the first Saturday of August after the 2nd day of the month, Descenso Internacional del Sella in which canoeists row 20 km along the river Sella. The municipality has an important cultural heritage with prehistoric sites in the caves of Cueva Rosa, La Lloseta, Tenis, Les Pedorses, San Antonio and Tito Bustillo; and examples of civil and religious architecture of interest such as: the Church of Santa Maria Magdalena, the Town Hall, the Prieto-Collado Palace, the House of Darío de Regoyos (Spanish impressionist painter), and some chalets in front of the beach of Santa Marina.
In addition to rural tourism, in the municipality of Ribadesella there are monuments and places to see:
- Plaza de la Reina Maria Cristina;
- Tower of la Atalaya;
- Plaza Nueva;
- Hermitage of La Guía;
- Paseo de la Princesa Letizia;
- Paseo de La Grúa;
- Beach of l’Atalaya;
- Beach of Santa Marina;
- Gran Vía de Agustín Argüelles.
OTHER CITIES IN THE PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS TO VISIT:
- The coastal city of Gijón preserves traces of its past in its museums and its historic centre, and its medieval and modern architecture in its churches, houses and palaces. It also has a great variety of green spaces, an exquisite gastronomy recognized at a national level, beaches and coves of uncontaminated beauty and much more. Read more about Gijón here.
- Llanes is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain, bordered by the Cantabrian Sea, with wonderful beaches and an interesting cultural and natural heritage that includes churches, palaces and buildings. It also features the Paseo de San Pedro, a park located along a cliff offering spectacular views; delicious cuisine; interesting traditional festivals; and an artwork in the port. Read more about Llanes here.
- Oviedo has origins that date back to the Middle Ages. Relics from the time of Alfonso II can be found in the Cathedral of Oviedo. The city is also an interesting tourist attraction for its cultural heritage; it preserves Asturian pre-Romanesque art, developed between the 9th and 10th centuries, in some buildings declared world heritage by UNESCO. To learn more about what to see in Oviedo, read here.
