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The capital of the Rioja Alavesa is a town whose streets and squares conserve their medieval atmosphere to perfection. The views from its hilltop location are marvellous: the Mountains of Cantabria, the wetlands and, above all, the countryside dominated by the vines that produce the grapes which are the principal crop of this area.
A town with ancestral homes of stone, laden with history, a jewel protected by walls that take us back to times long past. A surprise awaits at every corner, the cobbled streets invite us to take a leisurely stroll and to contemplate its historical legacy. Santa María de los Reyes and its polychromed portico are in themselves sufficient reason for coming to Laguardia, but there are other innumerable reasons for visiting this town where time seems to have been detained: its history, its archaeological patrimony, its wineries, its gastronomy, will make you want to return many times.
The territory denominated Rioja Alavesa is protected by the Cantabria Mountain Range. Its vineyards color the landscape bright green in the spring and in reddish tones in the fall. The vineyards surround the urban centers (which frequently are walled). Its wineries are famous for their wines and their architecture. There are close to 200 wineries in this area; many of them are traditional in style and others stand out for their avant-garde structures designed by famous architects such as Ysios (Santiago Calatrava), Baigorri (Iñaki Aspiazu), and the Marques de Riscal complex (Frank Gehry). There is no doubt that wine tasting and visits to wineries have become a principal tourist attraction in the area, together with the valuable artistic and architectural patrimony which includes walled towns (for example, Labraza, which received the prize for the best restoration of its walls in 2008), ancestral homes or remarkable prehistoric remains such as the settlement of La Hoya and the spectacular dolmens (burial monuments) of “El Encinal” and “La Chabola de la Hechicera”.
Also of interest are the towns of Leza, Elciego, Oyón-Oion, Lapuebla de Labarca and Labastida as well as the magnificent panoramic view of all of the Rioja Alavesa from the Balcon de la Rioja located close to the top of the Herrera mountain pass.
