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A historical corner in La Rioja

Located at the heart of La Rioja, the Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada is a grand hotel full of luxury and enchantment, from which one can visit the best bodegas, excellent restaurants and beautiful monasteries. 

Built in the 12th century as a palace for the King of Navarre, it was transformed into a hospital for pilgrims that hiked through the Camino a Santiago de Compostela. In 1965, it was restored to become one of the Paradores that adorn the travels in Spain, and it invites one to walk through time and admire a building that has seen much history unfold, and who was received a large number of pilgrims.

 

In the hall, the wide pillars sustain de gothic stone arch’s, and on its sides, the fingerprints of the men who have caressed these walls through time appear. In this salon now rest sofas that embrace one with tastes of the past for one to enjoy the elegant and surreal ambience. 

The majestic rooms are filled with enchantment, luxury and elegance. The best restaurant allows one to enjoy the excellent cuisine from Rioja, accompanied by the very finest wines in the region.

It is situated in the central plaza of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, in front of the cathedral that displays its wonderful architecture. Inside one of the walls of the cathedral, in a window, one can find the rooster that symbolizes the legend. From the windows inside many of the rooms of the Parador one can observe the plaza, the cathedral and the movements of the people to the sound of the cathedrals’ bells.

 

Text: Patrick Monney ± Photo: Patrick Monney