What to see in La Faba?
La Faba on the Camino
La Faba lies right on the climb from the Valcarce valley to O Cebreiro, between Las Herrerías and La Laguna de Castilla. You reach it on a steep path among chestnut trees, the hardest stretch of the whole ascent.
At about 920 metres above sea level, its neighbours are Bargelas, San Tirso and Las Lamas. For pilgrims it is a breather halfway up, with views over the valley.
Shortly after leaving the valley floor, climbing from Vega de Valcarce and Las Herrerías, there is a small single-arched medieval bridge, almost hidden among the vegetation, made of slate slabs and with no parapet.
That little bridge is linked to a place the Codex Calixtinus names as Villaus, which other sources of the time call Villa Ursi or Villa Uxi.
History
La Faba is a medieval hamlet that lived from livestock, rye and chestnuts, and from welcoming the pilgrims climbing into the mountains. The name might come from the Latin faba, broad bean.
Church of San Andrés
The Church of San Andrés Apóstol, simple and built of stone, with a bell gable, stands next to the hostel, which was built in its old rectory.
Hostel
The La Faba hostel has been run for years by the German association Ultreia, with volunteer hospitaleros. It is small, quiet and much appreciated, and there is also a bar in the village.
Rural life
Mountain customs survive, such as bread from the wood-fired oven, the pig slaughter and the chestnut harvest. In autumn the chestnut groves turn ochre.
The village festival is San Andrés, at the end of November.
The landscape
From La Faba you can see the Valcarce valley and, on the other side, the first Galician mountains. The climb from Las Herrerías to La Laguna by way of here is one of the most beautiful and demanding on the Camino.
In short
La Faba is the halfway stop on the Camino Frances climb into Galicia: a stone hamlet, a hostel with plenty of spirit and views over El Bierzo.
| Country | Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomous community | Castilla y León | |
| Province | Leon Province | |
| Comarca | El Bierzo | |
| Judicial district | Ponferrada | |
| Location | 42°41′08″N 7°00′34″O | |
| Elevation | 920 m | |
| Population | 28 inhabitants (INE 2017) | |
| Postal code | 24526 | |
| Dialling code | 987 | |
| Website | Ayuntamiento de Vega de Valcarce | |