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Ezcaray
«Ezcaray produce famosas mantas de lana tradicionales y artesanales.»Ezcaray produces famous traditional and artisanal wool blankets.
Ezcaray is at the bottom of the Oja valley, at the foot of the Sierra de la Demanda, in the highest part of La Rioja. For two centuries it lived off a royal cloth factory commissioned by Charles III, and today it lives off the Valdezcaray ski resort and mountain tourism.
Did you know
Three Michelin stars in small town.
Despite its small size, in Ezcaray you can find the renowned Echaurren restaurant, which has been awarded three Michelin stars in its history.
How they talk in Ezcaray
«Demanda» here immediately refers to the Sierra de la Demanda, not a request. «Ezcaray» retains a strong mountain identity within a region better known for wine.
golmajería
Confectionery, sweets, or a collection of treats. Used to talk about sweets and pastry preparations from the Riojan tradition.
Everyday life in Ezcaray
Valdezcaray twenty minutes away
The only ski resort in La Rioja is above the town, and in winter the people from Logroño come up at the weekend: the town's bars live on that movement.
The «mantas» of wool from Ezcaray
Ezcaray has manufactured wool fabrics for centuries and there are still those who produce blankets and scarves: they are bought in the shops in the centre, and the old factories have become houses.
«Una manta de lana de aquí.» — A wool blanket from here.
The «soportales» of the plaza mayor
The plaza mayor is arcaded on all sides and in summer people eat outside there: it is the exact centre of the town's life, and people pass through it several times a day.
«Nos sentamos bajo los soportales.» — We sit under the porticoes.
What to eat in Ezcaray
Fardelejos
Puff pastry parcels filled with almond and egg, fried and rolled in sugar.
Caparrones
Red beans cooked slowly with chorizo, morcilla and bacon.
Peras al vino de Rioja
Pears cooked slowly in red wine with sugar and cinnamon.
Festivals in Ezcaray
Virgen de Allende
early September
The patron saint descends from the hermitage, and the town fills with people who have returned from the city for those days.
Fiestas de Santa Bárbara
around 4 December
The winter festival, when the snow has already arrived: the procession tours the town under the porticoes.
What to see in Ezcaray
Real Fábrica de Paños
The royal manufactory of 1752, which clothed the Spanish army: today it is the town hall.
Valdezcaray
The ski resort on the Sierra de la Demanda, with beech forests all around.
Casco antiguo
The mountain town with wooden porticoes and houses overlooking the Oja river.
Where Ezcaray comes from
The manufactory that clothed the army
Middle Ages
The town
It was born at the bottom of the Oja valley, at the foot of the Sierra de la Demanda.
1752
The Real Fábrica
Charles III opened a royal cloth manufactory there: for two centuries it was the town's work.
19th century
Wool
Textile factories multiplied along the river, which provided the motive power.
1975 → today
The mountain
With the factories closed, the town lives off the Valdezcaray ski resort.
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