Two Canarian towns make the list of the most beautiful in Spain
The Association of the Most Beautiful Towns of Spain has just announced its new additions for the year 2021. In total, there are eleven new places that have met the criteria established by the organization, and have been chosen from a long list that applied, meaning that as of January 1st there are 104 locations included in the prestigious association.
Among them this year are Garachico in the north of Tenerife and Agulo in La Gomera, which join Tejeda, on the island of Gran Canaria, which has been on the list since 2015, and in this time has seen the seasonal adjustment of tourism and a growth of visitors.
Garachico and Agulo thus join the Association that cares for the most beautiful towns in Spain, classed as places of great beauty that treasure history, culture and traditions.
They will be officially presented at the Madrid International Tourism Fair (FITUR) together with the other nine municipalities that are joining the network, and during the spring an important proclamation ceremony will be held in these towns. New Canarian candidates are currently being studied, which they hope will join the list of the most beautiful towns in Spain in the next few years.
NEW TOWNS 2021:
The towns that become part of the Association for 2021 are Beget (Girona), Molinaseca (León), Baños de la Encina (Jaén), Genalguacil (Málaga), Nuevo Baztán (Madrid), Valverde de la Vera (Cáceres), Agulo ( La Gomera), Roncal (Navarra), Bulnes, Cudillero (Asturias) and Garachico (Tenerife).
These eleven municipalities have passed an audit during 2020, with more than 40 criteria, in aspects as important as the care of the heritage, the harmony of the municipality, cleaning, conservation of the facades, vehicle circulation, care of flower beds and green areas, programmed cultural activity and attention to traditions, among many others
Francisco Mestre, the president of the association, said: “today is a day of pride and happiness for the entire group of people that are part of this network, in which we welcome eleven new members to this quality network. For us, credibility as a brand is the most important thing, so our towns pass a rigorous audit that seeks to take the visitor to another time, where beauty, good conservation, harmony and other important aspects such as culture, gastronomy, tradition or folklore are indispensable. That is why our association does not seek to have many towns, it seeks to have only the best, the most beautiful.”
ABOUT GARACHICO:
Garachico is a town located in the northeast of the island of Tenerife, that has a rich architectural heritage in its well-preserved historic centre, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, which is why it was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1994.
Its beautiful cobbled streets invite you to explore the heart of the town, its churches and historic buildings. Garachico was almost completely devastated in 1706, but many families of great influence decided to rebuild it, recovering its heritage and cultural beauty.
Some historic buildings were saved, such as the San Francisco convent, dating from 1526, located opposite the central Plaza de la Libertad, or the stonework façade of the Casa de los Condes de la Gomera, in the Renaissance style. On the coast, next to the historic centre, the Castillo de San Miguel, from 1575, and the natural pools of El Caletón stand out, highly appreciated by visitors and residents.
Garachico’s gastronomy is part of the Canaries gastronomic wealth, as it’s coastal and port enclave has traditionally made it a point of reference for the tasting of fresh fish and seafood.
On the other hand, the local traditional pastry has an outstanding exponent in the delicacies that the Franciscan nuns continue to make. Garachico has also been famous for its good wines, included in the Ycoden-Daute-Isora appellation of origin.
ABOUT AGULO:
Known as the ‘bonbon’ of La Gomera, for its beauty, Agulo is an immense viewpoint tinted by the green of its crops over the Atlantic Ocean, and by its cobbled streets, which lead us to the beautiful church of San Marcos with its white domes, in contrast to the reddish tone of the tiles of the houses.
Agulo is one of the smallest and oldest towns on the island of La Gomera, with privileged views of Tenerife and its imposing El Teide volcano, its old town is one of the best preserved in the entire archipelago, and is formed by narrow and cobbled streets will transport us to times gone by.
Among its heritage, the Church of San Marcos stands out, a primitive hermitage founded in 1607 that was transformed into a church years later. At the beginning of the 20th century it was demolished to build the current neo-Gothic style temple.
Agulo has a cuisine based on potatoes, yams or watercress, which have allowed the development of typical dishes such as watercress stew, or yam stew, goat or pig meat, accompanied by potatoes with mojo picón; not forgetting the Almogrote, which is a spread made mainly with cured and seasoned goat cheese.