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Elizondo
«Elizondo es la capital del hermoso valle del Baztán.»Elizondo is the capital of the beautiful Baztán valley.
Elizondo is the capital of the Baztan valley, in the north of Navarre, in an area of beech forests and constant rain. Its stone houses overlooking the river bear the coats of arms of the 'indianos', those who returned rich from America between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Did you know
The town of the Baztán Trilogy.
Elizondo is the main setting for the famous noir novels of the 'Baztán Trilogy' written by Dolores Redondo.
How they talk in Elizondo
Euskera is very much alive and «Baztan» is the name of the valley that defines the local identity. «Egun on» and «agur» are heard daily along with Castilian.
auzolan
Community or neighborhood work done together. Basque term for a practical collaboration in which the inhabitants contribute to the good of the neighborhood or the town.
Everyday life in Elizondo
The houses with the coat of arms on the portal
In the Baztán, houses have their own name and a coat of arms above the door, and people identify with that: the name of the house is said before the surname.
«Cada casa tiene su nombre.» — Every house has its name.
The «Baztán» rains almost always
The valley is green because it rains all year round, even in summer: you go out with a jacket regardless, and the meadows remain intense from January to December.
The market of latxa sheep cheeses
Idiazabal cheese is made here with the milk of latxa sheep and is smoked: you buy it from the shepherds, and every house has its trusted producer.
«Un queso Idiazabal ahumado.» — A smoked Idiazabal cheese.
What to eat in Elizondo
Chistorra
Thin sausage with paprika, grilled and served in bread.
Cordero al chilindrón
Lamb cooked slowly in a sauce of tomato, red peppers and onion.
Cuajada
Sheep's milk curdled with rennet, served in a clay pot with honey and walnuts.
Festivals in Elizondo
Baztandarren Biltzarra
in July
The fifteen villages of the Baztán parade with their floats and their «dantzaris»: once a year the valley counts itself.
What to see in Elizondo
The village on the Baztan
The stone houses overlooking the river, with wooden balconies and coats of arms above the portals.
Palacio Arizkunenea
18th-century baroque palace on the river, built by a family of «indianos».
Iglesia de Santiago
The village church, neoclassical, with a tower that can be seen from the whole valley.
Valle del Baztan
The valley enclosed by the mountains, with pastures, beech forests and scattered farmhouses.
Where Elizondo comes from
The houses of those who returned from America
14th century
The valley
The Baztan is a valley with its own laws, which governs itself.
18th–19th century
The «indianos»
Those who return rich from America build the houses with the coats of arms, on the river.
19th century
The wars
The valley is crossed by the Carlist wars and border disputes.
20th century → today
The Baztan
The valley lives from livestock, forestry and tourism.
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