Lands of Treviño and Campezo- Kanpezu: Faith under the earth

Treviño county is a very special place. It is a small Castillian island in the middle of Alava, in the middle of the Basque Country. The differences with its neighbours are not as great as one could imagine, rather, its people are more similar to the people of Alava than to Castilians, and the county has a closer relationship with Vitoria than with Burgos, the province to which it belongs.

We take Alava's capital as our starting point, and head straight along the A-2124 road to enter the heart of the Treviño County. The first stop is in San Vicentejo, where we can visit the Hermitage of the Conception, the artistic jewel of the Romanesque in this area, due to its model choir stalls. In Uzquizano, the parish temple has a very interesting Romanesque facade.

We continue in this land towards Bernedo. The artificial caves excavated in the sandstone, where there used to be small shrines, have enormous value. On the way, we come accross the village of Faido, which preserves its primitive religious character in the Hermitage of the Virgin of la Peña. In Laño, a bit further on, we find vestiges of excavated caves, called Las Gobas and Santorkaria.

The artificial caves at Markinez have important bas-reliefs. Also worth mentioning is Santa Eulalia's church, and near the village, San Julian's hermitage, a local Romanesque jewel. From here we take the road to Lagran, where we will find the ruins and gates of the walls and a church with a plateresque facade.

Travelling through the land of Navarra, we arrive at Santa Cruz de Campezo- Santa Kurutze Kanpezo, with its impressive Parish Church. If we have time, we can visit Orbiso, Bujanda or Antoñana. We can also take the opportunity to admire Ibernalo Hermitage, which is at the same time a recreational area.

On our way back to Vitoria-Gasteiz, we go through Maeztu, with its imposing Palace Houses, the church of the Invencion de la Santa Cruz, and the Assumption Church. A little bit further on, in the town of Corres, we can begin a relaxed walk through Izki Natural Park and enjoy its thick woods, like the larges and best preserved marojo oak wood in Europe. We go over Azaceta mountain pass and return to Vitoria-Gasteiz.

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