Villa in Arredondo. Arredondo between rivers and mountains, 20 minutes from the beaches.

This municipality is located at the foot of the Alisas Pass and is bordered by the Asón and Bustablao Rivers, which boast abundant trout and salmon fishing grounds and offer breathtaking scenery at their headwaters. It is surrounded by a limestone landscape with medium-altitude but very prominent peaks: the Alisas Pass, Peñas Rocías…

The town of Arredondo, the seat of this municipality, welcomes us with its nickname, “the capital of the world,” inscribed on a ceramic plaque affixed to a house at the entrance to the town. It is known by this name because of the large number of “Indianos” who left these lands for the Americas. Its imposing neoclassical church, built in 1860 at the expense of the “indiano” Antonio Gutiérrez Solana, is flanked by a massive cylindrical tower, visible from anywhere and from which—so the story goes—its benefactor hoped to catch a glimpse of the sea.

Other notable monuments include the rock-hewn chapel of San Juan de Socueva (10th century), which features remnants of a Visigothic altar and is considered Arredondo’s earliest historical landmark. The Gothic-style (16th century) Chapel of the Holy Martyrs is also well worth a thorough visit.

Arredondo also boasts an extraordinary underground network, with more than 251 catalogued caves and systems such as Cueto-Coventosa (the third longest in Cantabria), making caving another major attraction in the municipality.

Its handicrafts deserve special attention, especially due to the skill and dexterity of the “cuevaneros,” or makers of cuévanos.

The municipality hosts a massive fair on November 1, All Saints’ Day.

Set in a spectacular natural setting where you can enjoy all kinds of adventure sports and located just a few kilometres from the stunning beaches of Laredo and Santoña, 30 km (a half-hour drive), 30 km from Cabarceno (a 40-minute drive), 70 km from the impressive Altamira Caves and their museum (just a 60-minute drive), and 40 km from Santander (a 50-minute drive), you’ll find the “Mirador Peñas Rocias” residential complex—a group of villas next to the Ason River where you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay with room for six people and access to a large private pool with a landscaped area right within the complex.