Discover Soto de Ribera: River Landscape and Culture

Soto de Ribera can be discovered through the river landscape of the Río Nalón and an unusually diverse architectural history. The route from Olloniego to Soto de Rey follows the Río Nalón as its central axis and passes through a species-rich natural environment. Alders, maple trees and poplars grow along the riverbank; mallards, moorhens and coots can be observed there. The route ends in Soto Rei, also known as Soto de Rey. Before returning, you can view the Soto Ribera thermal power plant there.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Soto de Ribera, you can consider the natural and cultural-historical highlights as different aspects of your itinerary side by side.

Geographical Setting

Soto de Rey has a railway station with services for travellers, as well as information on arrival and departure times and the services available on the station premises. The combination of the river course, route and railway station also gives the place name a clear geographical and infrastructural connection.

Culture

The Poblado de Soto'l Rei was built in several phases from the early 1960s onwards. It consists of terraced detached houses and spacious communal open areas, and was established in the vicinity of the Soto de Ribera thermal power plant. The complex is considered one of the most significant examples of modern architecture in Asturias; the engineer Carlos Fernández Casado and the architect Ignacio Álvarez Castelao were involved in its design. The Poblado de Soto'l Rei can be viewed from the public road.

The Castillo de Soto, also known as Castillo de Doña Urraca, stands in Soto Rei. The medieval castle ruins are considered the oldest structure in the Concejo Ribera de Arriba. Parts of a wall and a large round-arched portal with artistically carved voussoirs have been preserved. The structure also includes limestone and sandstone masonry, several rectangular windows with straight lintels and a small round-arched window.

The Iglesia de San Saturnino in Soto Ribera dates from 1931. Its floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross and ends in a flat-ended chancel. The church continues to be used for religious purposes and serves as a parish church. It is also listed in the Inventario del Patrimonio Cultural de Asturias.

History

The Puente de Soto in Soto Ribera is a historic stone bridge over the Río Caudal and was built in 1808.

A manor house in Soto Ribera has a striking iron viewing oriel on a stone corbel, flanked by two balconies. A manor house in Soto Ribera was built at the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century by an emigrant who had returned from Cuba. Also in Soto Ribera is an agriculturally oriented architectural complex with a dwelling house, a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph, several stables, a cider press and two granaries. The chapel’s small bell tower consists of an open octagonal wrought-iron dome supported by four columns. A small rectangular chapel in Soto Ribera was built at the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century.

To the higher-level travel overview: Soto De Ribera.