Hidden Treasures Around Valga

The villagers say the Río Ulla carries more than water. It drags along stories: of fishermen who have followed the current for generations, of Roman boats that once glided across these waters. Follow the river, and it leads you past ruins, vineyards, and viewpoints where the sea teases you just out of reach.

In the forest of A Curota, where the wind rustles through the chestnut trees, an abandoned lookout tower waits. A place where you can stand above the clouds and see the Rías Baixas unfold like a map below you. Closer by, in Catoira, ancient towers rise from the earth – the Torres do Oeste, once the guardians of Galicia against the Vikings.

But perhaps the most beautiful spot is simply in a village square, under the shade of a plane tree, where an old woman opens her basket of pimientos and smiles.

For in Galicia, it is not always the great monuments that linger in your memory, but the small moments along the way.