Easy hikes and walks in Canón Do Sil

Very good views of the Sil River canyon

The petos de ánimas or “soul piggy banks” are an artistic expression of medieval popular architecture linked to the cult of the dead and beliefs about life and death. In the religious reform of the 16th century, the concept of Purgatory appeared as an alternative to save the “souls in torment” who wandered around waiting to be condemned, suppressing the idea of eternal punishment. The petos de ánimas reached their highest artistic quality in the 18th century, they are at crossroads and form part of the ethnographic heritage of the Galician rural environment. In the municipality of Parada de Sil there are petos de ánimas in Requián, Teimende, Casa do Vento, Cimadevila, O Couto and O Coutiño, with two striking ornamental pinnacles on the stone chapel.

The trail begins in the Plaza do Barquilleiro, in Parada de Sil, a must-see in the essential landscapes of the Sil Canyon and the Ribeira Sacra to discover fantasy forests, river balconies, traditional wineries and the ancient monastery of Santa Cristina, a notable landmark in the Benedictine foundations spread across the great river canyon in the interior of Galicia.

The Balconies of Madrid have a history that speaks of emigration, dreams and human adventures in unknown lands. The original name of Os Torgás was changed when the people of the Ourense villages of the Ribeira Sacra hung themselves from the cliffs of the River Sil to say goodbye to their loved ones who were leaving for Madrid and other lands in the south with the dream of a new life. The viewing points form small steps hanging over the river gorge and cause a special fascination. The breeze in the air carries the aromas of vineyards hanging on steep rocky terraces and melodies of elves emerging from enchanted forests, descendants of the primitive mythological beings who resisted the sacralisation of their plant kingdom by the monks and long before by the Roman legions. The walls of the Sil Canyon are a monumental sculpture five hundred metres high made of fierce, bare granite, a fortress of living rock up to the edge of the viewing points that filter the wind, the lights and the eternal songs of all the people who have passed through this fantastic natural balcony to say goodbye or find someone.

Nice

The monastery of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil is one of the most outstanding and spectacular complexes of the rich monumental heritage of Galicia. It was built between the 12th and 18th centuries. This monastery was important, because nine bishops retired to it and renounced their episcopal sees and chose the monastery to end their days throughout the 10th century and perhaps part of the 11th. The monastery kept his remains and as a souvenir it carried the nine miters on its shield. The church has a basilica plan, spacious and proportioned. It preserves the Romanesque apse with three apses, the central one being lower than the lateral ones, an unusual case in Galician Romanesque. The façade of the church is from the end of the 16th century or beginning of the 17th century. At the top there is a simple oculus that gives light to the interior and ends in a niche inside which is the image of Saint Stephen.

viewpoint from which they said goodbye to emigrants, spectacular views of the Sil canyons

The Torgás recreational area is in an area where a bush called heather abounds, it is also close to leafy groves of century-old chestnut trees. Mountainous hiking area, with viewpoints that offer panoramic views of a river valley.