Environment
The Burbia valley, the Los Ancares valley and the Fornela valley are the principal valleys of the Sierra de los Ancares, a mostly unspoiled range of extraordinary beauty.
The local mountains are the oldest of the entire Iberian Peninsula and reach a height of up to 2000metres. There is the birth of the streams, which engulf wickers, small towns and floodplain forests. The floodplain forest consist of elm-, ash- and alder trees, while the mountain sides are overgrown with shrubbery, oaks, hollies, birches and yew trees.
The region has a blooming fauna, which consists of wolves, boars, deers, wood-grouses, eagles, herons, otters and trouts (the trouts of the bierzo are said to be the most delicious ones of the entire county).
The villages cling to their rural customs and traditions and thus offer a variety of cultural sights: hermitages, traditional stone shacks („pallozas“), special granarys as well as ruins of ancient celtic and roman settlements.
In Addition, there are several culinary delicacys (such as air-dried cow-ham, chicken stew or filled pork stomach), let alone the excellent wine, which is an insider's tip among wine gourmets. Many local wineries offer guided visits and tastings in spanish, english, french and italian.