3 Reasons to Visit Cantabria

I probably should have titled this post 5 reasons to visit Cantabria, because we've already seen two important ones: the mountains of Cantabria and its capital city Santander. If you haven't read those posts, you absolutely should. Today, on the final post about this beautiful Spanish region, I'm going to give you three more reasons to visit Cantabria.

1. COMILLAS

Foul weather accompanied us on our visit to the magnificent town of Comillas. As much as we prayed "rain, rain, go away", we couldn't close our umbrellas for the whole day. That's what happens in the north: you can get lovely sunny days, but it rains a lot. 

In Comillas you will find some of the most original and beautiful buildings in Cantabria. The first Marqués de Comillas is responsible for this. He made a fortune in Cuba and then returned to commission the most important Catalan Modernist architects to liven up his hometown in the late 19th century. Other highlights of the town include quirky mansions, the cobbled old town and a lovely beach.

There are few buildings by genius architect Antoni Gaudi outside of Catalonia and one of them is this: El Capricho (the caprice). This flamboyant masterpiece striped all over the outside with ceramic bands of sunflowers is actually his first work ever.

Despite the bad weather, we spent a long time at El Capricho. I had been looking forward to going back to this place for a long time. One of my first memories from childhood is when my parents brought me here, it seems that this place made a big impression on me that I could never forget. To this day, it still is my favorite building by Gaudi (who also happens to be my favorite architect). The place is worth every second you spend here, everywhere you look there’s something to attract your attention.

Wandering the streets of Comillas, we found Casa del Duque (the Duke's House), a beautiful mansion that could be a great location for a horror movie. It makes you think of a haunted house, doesn't it? The house cannot be visited but you can take a look from outside.

The Marquis of Comillas commissioned Catalan architect Joan Martorell the Sobrellano Palace, the architecture of this fabulous neo-Gothic palace is breath-taking. The Palace is closed on Mondays, which was the day we visited Comillas, so we couldn't take the guided tour. 

Last but not least, there's the charming old town with steep stone streets, picturesque squares, big mansions and typical houses with wooden balconies portraying the most traditional Cantabria architecture.

2. SANTILLANA DEL MAR

There's a sign when you arrive at Santillana del Mar saying "Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España", a  sign given to the most beautiful villages in Spain. We say that Santillana is the town of the three lies: not holy (santi), flat (llana) or by the sea (del mar). The truth is that Santillana is a very well preserved Medieval jewel with its cobbled streets and flower-filled balconies.

Colegiata de Santa Juliana is the most important monument in the town, a collegiate church with a beautiful cloister dedicated to the relics of Saint Juliana. 

I'll be honest, this town is charming but in my opinion it is not as beautiful as Comillas. Nothing can compare the architectural heritage of the later. Maybe the fact that's considered one of the prettiest towns in Spain made my expectations too high and it disappointed me. Nevertherless, I think it's worth visiting.

We did have a spectacular lunch at El Parador de Gil Blas. A hotel and restaurant of our favorite chain Paradores. The hotel occupies a lovely mansion located on a square in Santillana del Mar. The place is a monument itself, so it deserves a visit even if you are not eating or staying there. 

This brings us to the last -but very important- reason to visit Cantabria: the food. 

TIP: since this little town receives many visitors, the prices tend to be high, so I advice you to eat at a place like El Parador. Being a national hotel chain, prices are very similar all around the country.

3. THE FOOD
Trying Cantabria's traditional dishes is a must. Tasting the local cuisine is a very important part of our travel experiences and we always book restaurants that offer it.

At El Parador de Gil Blas I ate the biggest tomato I had ever seen. It was filled with prawns and salsa rosa. DELICIOUS!

Rabas (fried calamari) are widely popular in Cantabria, they will be on every menu so if you go, you MUST order them.

Even though this region is washed by the sea, they have amazing meat. This pork with BBQ sauce, veggies and figs was divine.

Spanish cocido (stew) is popular all around the country, but each region has its own recipe. The varieties served in Cantabria start with the traditional stew soup and come with many ingredients including meat, chickpeas, cabbage and chorizo.

Decadent desserts are our favorite part of any meal, our favorites in Cantabria were tarta Santa Juliana (cheesecake with a cookie base topped with peach preserves) and grandmother’s special dessert (custard with ice cream, meringue and a touch of liqueur).

This trip around Cantabria made me fall in love with the north of Spain. The bad weather is already forgotten and beautiful memories are all that remains.
xo Cristina

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