La Ferrería and Valdecarzana palace

Chapter 3/10 · Avilés

We have crossed the estuary beside the San Sebastián bridge, the colourful one, and crossed over the railway tracks on the La Grapa footbridge. Now we enter Calle La Ferrería, which was the main street of the town when it was walled. Its name comes from the blacksmiths who worked here. Notice the arcades: they are narrow, and they let people walk out of the rain.

Here is the Valdecarzana palace, also called the House of the Baragañas. It dates from the fourteenth century and is the oldest civil building still standing in Avilés. Look at the windows on the upper floor: they are twin windows, two openings divided by a column. It is believed to have been the home of a rich merchant, with the shop and storeroom below and the family home above.

Today the palace houses the Municipal Historical Archive. We continue along the same street, toward the estuary, to Carlos Lobo Square, where the oldest buildings of the town are waiting for us.

← Niemeyer Centre · Carlos Lobo Square: Franciscan Fathers church and Alas chapel →