Velayos: Open Fields, Festivals and Historic Sites

Velayos lies in La Moraña, in the northeast of Ávila province, in a flat to gently undulating landscape of open fields planted with grain. Nearby, the small steppe lagoon Laguna de la Somadilla adds to the landscape; it serves as a watering place for livestock.

If you are looking for a hotel in Velayos, the reason for your trip may help determine when to visit: local festivals take place at different times of the year, while the open landscape forms the town’s enduring backdrop.

Festivals and Culture Throughout the Year

On May 15, Velayos celebrates the feast day of San Isidro Labrador. It includes a procession to the fields and the traditional blessing of the fields. The main festival in honor of the Virgen de la Soledad is held on the second weekend of October; it includes a novillada at the “Real Maestranza de la Soledad” bullring. If you are planning your trip around either of these celebrations, check the program for the year you wish to visit in advance.

Holy Week also has a literary accent: every year, romances by Lope de Vega, taken from his 1614 work “Rimas Sacras,” are recited in Velayos. The three occasions are easy to distinguish when planning your visit: the procession and blessing of the fields take place in May, the novillada in October, and the romances are the focus during Holy Week.

Historic Sites and Getting Around

The Torreón de la Puebla de Valderrábanos is a square tower with a cubic cross-section. It was built from horizontally arranged Arabic-style bricks and stands on a base of large blocks of gray granite. Its square floor plan describes its shape when viewed from above, while its cubic cross-section describes its three-dimensional form. The tower is also dilapidated and at high risk of collapse. Do not enter it.

The archaeological sites of El Torreón and Prado Serrano are located within the municipality. The historical context therefore encompasses both individual architectural structures and archaeological sites.

About three kilometers northeast of Velayos, just beyond the railway line, stands the surviving, towering structure of the abandoned settlement of La Puebla, known as La Aldihuela.

The parish church, Iglesia parroquial de Ntra. Sra. de la Asunción de Santa María de la Vega y Lugar de Velayos, is less than 300 meters west of Velayos, on the crest of a gentle hill. It is therefore much closer to the town than the tower of the abandoned settlement of La Puebla, about three kilometers to the northeast. If you are considering visiting the church interior, check in advance whether visits are possible.

Discover more destinations: Gallegos, Las Navas Del Marqués, Gavilanes, Narros De Saldueña, Casavieja, Horcajo De La Ribera, El Barraco, Martiherrero

For the broader travel overview: Avila.