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Carrusel de imágenes presentando Navarra

The Kingdom of the four seasons

Autumn

In autumn the landscape is flooded with green, ochre, golden and reddish colours. The Irati forest becomes an enchanted wood of many and varied tonalities. The viewpoint over the Arbayún gorge offers a spectacular view, and the Pyrenees of Navarre generally transform themselves into a symphony of colours set to the bellowing of the deer at the start of the season.

The colour of the grape dyes the harvest in the Central Zone and La Ribera. The grape harvest arrives together with the first fiesta of the autumn: San Miguel, on 29th September. In Corella and in Cortes they have danced the paloteado (dance with sticks) in honour of their patron saints since time immemorial.

Shepherds celebrate the Sanmiguelada: flocks from the Pyrenean valleys come down from the mountains along the Cañada Real (ancient livestock trail) and enter Las Bardenas to graze during the winter.

In October, Bera de Bidasoa is home to the Lurraren Eguna (Day of the Land), which is a celebration of the products of the earth.

Autumn also means culture. There are concerts and theatre plays in the select programme of the BALUARTE or the Teatro Gayarre, and also the Escuela Navarra de Teatro (Theatre School of Navarre). The Ronda de Otoño is a programme of theatre, music and dance performed by groups from Navarre. We would highlight the Ancient Music Festival in Estella and the International ?Julián Gayarre? Singing Competition and the International ?Pablo Sarasate? Violin Competition.

These are the months of the hunting season. On October 16th the town of Etxalar is home to the Día de las Palomeras, a great opportunity to see how hunters capture the pigeons with nets. In November around twenty restaurants in the Baztán-Bidasoa area offer special menus combining game dishes with locally-grown products.
It is also a time of artichokes and borage, typical vegetables from the market gardens of La Ribera, and the red piquillo peppers. These are traditionally roasted and then preserved in jars; they are an ideal accompaniment to all kinds of dishes.

Autumn invites you to stroll and relax, to collect the wild mushrooms that abound in the woods and meadows, and the select the best sloe berries to make pacharán, the typical liqueur of Navarre.