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Luarca
«Luarca es un bonito puerto pesquero con casas blancas.»Luarca is a pretty fishing port with white houses.
Luarca is on the western coast of Asturias, nestled in a narrow gorge that descends to the sea. Its white houses climb up both sides, connected by seven bridges, and the cemetery, perched on the cliff top with the ocean on three sides, houses the tomb of Nobel laureate Severo Ochoa.
Did you know
A cemetery overlooking the sea.
The cemetery of Luarca, perched above the sea, is considered one of the most evocative and scenic in all of Spain.
How they talk in Luarca
«Valdés» is the name of the municipality of which Luarca is the capital. «Pixín» and «andarica» are common Asturian terms on fish menus.
prestar
To cause pleasure or satisfaction. Daily use in constructions like «présta-me/prestóme» to say that something is liked or has given pleasure.
Everyday life in Luarca
The «villa blanca» in tiers
The houses descend towards the harbour on successive terraces, all white, and the streets are stairs: you go to the centre on foot because it is difficult to drive around.
«Se sube por escaleras.» — You go up by stairs.
The «cementerio» on the cliff
The cemetery is at the top of the promontory, overlooking the ocean, and is considered one of the most beautiful in Spain: people go there to walk, not just to visit the dead.
«El cementerio da al mar.» — The cemetery faces the sea.
The «Premio Fernández-Vega»
Severo Ochoa, a Nobel Prize winner, was born here, and his tomb is in the town: the school, the park and the cultural centre bear his name, and people speak of him as if he were a relative.
What to eat in Luarca
Arroz con leche
Rice slow-cooked in milk with lemon and cinnamon, with burnt sugar on top.
Bollos preñaos
Bread rolls baked with chorizo inside, which are eaten cold in the countryside.
Caldereta de pescado
Rock fish soup with potatoes and peppers, cooked in a cauldron.
Festivals in Luarca
Fiestas de San Timoteo
22 August
You go up in a romería to the chapel with a handkerchief around your neck, and you descend singing towards the harbour nestled between the rocks.
What to see in Luarca
Cementerio de Luarca
The white cemetery on the cliff, with the sea on three sides: Nobel laureate Severo Ochoa is buried there.
Faro y ermita de la Atalaya
The lighthouse and the fishermen's chapel on the promontory above the harbour.
Los puentes
The seven bridges that cross the Negro inside the town, each one different from the other.
Where Luarca comes from
The cemetery with the best view
13th century
The town
Alfonso IX gives it the fuero: the harbour at the bottom of the Negro gorge is born.
16th–19th century
The whales
The Luarca fleet goes whale hunting along the coast.
19th century
The «indianos»
Those who return rich from America build the colourful houses and the cemetery by the sea.
1959
Severo Ochoa
The Nobel Prize winner for medicine, born here, will later be buried in the cemetery above the cliff.
Born here: Severo Ochoa, doctor and Nobel Prize winner.
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