Roncal in 30 seconds
214 inhabitants (INE 2024), about 90 km from Pamplona. One of the seven municipalities of the Roncal valley (along with Burgui, Garde, Isaba, Urzainqui, Uztárroz and Vidángoz). Altitude 720 m, with the surrounding mountains rising above 2,000 m.
A little history
732: according to tradition, the inhabitants defeat the troops of Abd al-Rahman at the battle of Olast; this victory features on the coats of arms of the valley’s municipalities.
1375: an arbitration ruling issued in Ansó sets the rules of the Tributo de las Tres Vacas (Tribute of the Three Cows), a much older ceremony: every 13 July, the people of the Barétous valley (Béarn) hand over three cows to the people of Roncal at the border, at the Ernaz pass, near the old Saint-Martin stone (Pierre de Saint-Martin, replaced by a boundary marker in 1858). It is less a tribute than a contract between equals over pasture and water.
Grazing: the valley jointly manages grazing rights in the Bardenas Reales. Its common affairs are run by the valley board (Junta del Valle del Roncal, 21 members).
1991: death of Fidela Bernat, the last native speaker of the Roncalese dialect of Basque. Today fewer than 20% of the inhabitants speak Basque (Euskara), mostly as a learned language.
What to see
Roncal village
Steep lanes and baroque mansions bearing coats of arms (Casa Gambra, 1739; Casa López, 1777). The 16th-century San Esteban church, in a Gothic-Renaissance style.
Julián Gayarre
Born in Roncal in 1844, Julián Gayarre was one of the most famous tenors of the 19th century. The house where he was born, which he had enlarged, became a house-museum in 1990 — the centenary of his death — packed with objects and documents; open all year round. The village also has his mausoleum, sculpted by Mariano Benlliure.
The nature interpretation centre
Over three floors (scale models, interactive games, a hologram of a shepherd): people and the valley’s resources, and the Larra-Belagua nature reserve. Open all year round.
Roncal cheese
Roncal PDO cheese — made from the raw milk of Latxa and Rasa sheep, aged for at least 4 months and produced in the valley’s seven municipalities. The first Spanish cheese to be granted a designation of origin (1981).
Isaba and Uztárroz
Neighbouring villages in the valley, just as unspoilt.
The Belagua valley
A glacial valley with karst landscapes, in the north of the Roncal valley. Cross-country skiing in winter, waymarked trails the rest of the year. The highest point of the Roncal valley is the Mesa de los Tres Reyes (2,424 m), topped by a statue of Saint Francis Xavier.
Local specialities
- Roncal PDO cheese — the star
- Migas de pastor — a shepherd’s dish
- Lamb stew
Getting there
- By car: the most practical way to get there from Pamplona
The perfect weekend itinerary
Saturday
- Morning: Roncal village, the church, the Julián Gayarre house-museum
- Afternoon: Isaba and Uztárroz (neighbouring villages)
Sunday
- All day: hiking in the Belagua valley
My favourite photo
Sheep in a Roncal meadow in July, with the mountains behind. Or Roncal village under snow.
Sources
- Visit Navarra (Navarre tourist board) — Julián Gayarre house-museum, Roncal nature interpretation centre
- Wikipedia (in Spanish): Roncal (INE 2024 population), Roncal valley, Roncal cheese, Tribute of the Three Cows
Ongi jin Erronkarira — Welcome to Roncal.