Sallent de Gállego

Sallent de Gállego overlooks the Lanuza reservoir at the foot of the highest peaks in the Pyrenees, very close to France. It is the main town of the Tena Valley and a genuine mountain village: narrow, tightly packed streets, stone everywhere and views that alone make the trip worthwhile. Part of its municipal area is protected as the Pyrenean Glaciers Natural Monument, so the landscape is as much a part of the visit as the town itself.

The building not to miss is the Church of the Assumption, a Gothic church built in the early 16th century and listed as a Site of Cultural Interest. Inside it houses a fine Plateresque altarpiece and the statue of Our Lady of the Snows, the town's patron saint and deeply revered by the people of Sallent.

It is well worth taking your time to wander the old quarter and look out for the many houses bearing coats of arms that dot its streets. Right in the centre, the Aguas Limpias river flows beneath the so-called Roman bridge, which is in fact a 16th-century structure. Close by is the Mentidero, a large covered bench open to the street where locals and visitors still sit down for a chat. It is the best place to get a feel for the town.

The coats of arms point to a long history. Sallent was originally a royal town and later became a lordship of the Lanuza family. Together with neighbouring Lanuza it formed the quiñón of Sallent, one of the three districts into which the government of the valley was divided in times past.

The municipality also includes Formigal, known for its ski resort. There, the small Mozarabic Church of El Salvador de Basarán stands out: it dates from the 10th century and was rebuilt in 1972. Its thousand-year-old silhouette amid the resort's modern buildings is one of the most curious contrasts in the valley.