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Olite
«Olite destaca por su impresionante Palacio Real de los Reyes de Navarra.»Olite stands out for its impressive Royal Palace of the Kings of Navarre.
Olite is in central Navarre, in an area of vineyards between the mountains and the Ribera. It is dominated by the royal palace that Charles III the Noble had built between 1387 and 1425, with gardens suspended on the roofs, which chroniclers of the time judged to be the most luxurious in Europe.
Did you know
A king with lions, giraffes, camels.
The Royal Palace had exotic hanging gardens and even a private zoo with lions, giraffes, and camels in the Middle Ages.
How they talk in Olite
«Erriberri» is the Basque name for Olite. «Bodega» and «vendimia» appear often because viticulture directly surrounds the town.
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 Olite
The castle in the middle of the town
The Palacio Real of the kings of Navarra, with its towers, is attached to the houses: you step out of your house and there is the castle, and you pass through it to go to the square.
«El castillo está pegado a las casas.» — The castle is attached to the houses.
The «Vendimia» of September
The grape harvest festival begins with the pressing of the first bunch in front of the castle: must is offered to the people and there is a parade with carts.
«Pisan la uva delante del castillo.» — They press the grapes in front of the castle.
The medieval «bodegas» under the houses
Under the town there are medieval cellars dug one under each house, where wine was kept: some can be visited, and the temperature remains the same all year round.
What to eat in Olite
Gorrín asado
Suckling pig roasted in a wood-fired oven, with crispy skin and meat that falls off the bone.
Pochas
Fresh white beans, not dried, cooked with little else: vegetables, quail or clams.
Chistorra
Thin sausage with paprika, roasted and served in bread.
Festivals in Olite
Fiestas Medievales
in August
The town returns to the 15th century around the palace of the kings of Navarra: market, court and crafts inside the walls.
Fiestas Patronales
in September
Handkerchiefs, giants and peñas in the narrow squares under the castle.
Fiesta de la Vendimia
in September
Grapes are pressed in front of the Palacio Real and the first must is offered, in one of the most wine-producing towns in Navarra.
What to see in Olite
Palacio Real de Olite
The palace of Charles III, with fifteen towers, hanging gardens and a room for storing snow.
Iglesia de Santa María la Real
The church attached to the palace, with a Gothic portal covered in figures.
Galerías medievales
The underground passages beneath the city, which connected the houses to the palace.
Las bodegas
The wineries of the Navarra denomination, which surround the town.
Where Olite comes from
The most luxurious palace in Europe
Roman era
The walls
A Roman walled enclosure, sections of which remain under the city.
13th century
The old castle
The kings of Navarra already had a fortified residence there.
1387–1425
Charles III the Noble
He builds the new palace: hanging gardens, aviary, lion and a chamber for snow.
1813
The fire
The palace is burned down so as not to leave it to the French: what you see is reconstructed.
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