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Barbastro
«Barbastro es la capital del vino Somontano.»Barbastro is the capital of Somontano wine.
Barbastro is located in the Somontano, the strip of hills between the Ebro plain and the Pyrenees, and is the centre of the eponymous wine denomination. In its cathedral, the betrothal between Petronilla of Aragon and Ramon Berenguer IV was celebrated in 1137, from which the Crown of Aragon was born.
Did you know
Founder of Opus Dei born here.
Barbastro was the birthplace of Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of Opus Dei, in 1902.
How they talk in Barbastro
«Somontano» literally means territory at the foot of the mountains and refers to the wine-growing region around Barbastro. «Barbastrense» is the demonym used locally.
charrar
To speak; to chat. Used in Aragonese speech to converse or talk, also in derivatives like «charrada».
Everyday life in Barbastro
The «Somontano» all around
The wineries of the Somontano denomination are based here and almost all can be visited: you can go and buy directly, and in September there is the wine festival with concerts among the barrels.
«Un vino del Somontano, por favor.» — A Somontano wine, please.
Market Wednesday
For centuries, on Wednesdays, the city fills with people from the towns of the Sierra, and the bars in the centre are packed by mid-morning. It is the day when things are taken care of in the city.
The «Vero» inside the city
The river crosses Barbastro in a narrow gorge and a little further north it has carved canyons where canyoning is practised: you start from the town and in half an hour you are in the water.
What to eat in Barbastro
Recao de Binéfar
A stew of beans, rice, and potatoes with vegetables and meat, all cooked together in a single pot.
Vino Somontano
Red and white from the vineyards at the foot of the Pyrenees: fresh, due to the altitude.
Ternasco de Aragón
Young lamb roasted with salt, lard, and white wine.
Crespillos
Borage leaves in batter, fried and sugared. They are made on 25 March.
Festivals in Barbastro
Fiestas de la Natividad
the days around 8 September
The «danzantes» and the giants go around the Plaza del Mercado, and the Somontano wineries remain open.
What to see in Barbastro
Catedral de Barbastro
Aragonese Gothic with three naves of the same height, with the altarpiece begun by Damián Forment.
Conjunto de San Julián
The seventeenth-century former hospital that has become a diocesan museum and wine centre.
Somontano
The vineyards between the plains and the Pyrenees, with wineries that can be visited.
Where Barbastro comes from
The Crown of Aragon was born here
9th century
The frontier
Muslim fortress on the upper frontier of al-Andalus.
1064
The siege
The campaign that conquered it is considered a crusade before the crusades.
1137
The union
In the cathedral, the engagement between Petronila of Aragon and Ramón Berenguer IV is celebrated: the Crown of Aragon is born.
20th century → today
The Somontano
The wine denomination makes it the wine centre of the province.
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