Ribadeo's Historic Centre, the Torre dos Moreno and the Street of the Indianos

The centre of Ribadeo has been a Bien de Interés Cultural since 2004 and can be walked in a couple of hours. The piece everyone photographs is the Torre dos Moreno, an indiano house (built by a returned emigrant) with a modernista dome at the highest point of the town, facing Praza de España. Around it are the convent of Santa Clara, the church of Santa María del Campo and, downhill, the houses built by emigrants who returned rich from America.

The Torre dos Moreno and Praza de España

The tower was built between 1914 and 1915 by the brothers Juan and Pedro Moreno Ulloa, following the designs of the Argentine architect Julián García Núñez and the engineer Ángel Ardex. It was made with materials little used at the time, concrete, glass and wrought iron, and the dome rests on four caryatids. It occupies the highest plot in Ribadeo, where the fortress stood, and so can be seen from almost the whole town. It is a private residence: you look at it from outside.

In the same square, Praza do Campo or de España, are the Pazo de Ibáñez, the convent of Santa Clara and the church of Santa María del Campo, a former Franciscan convent. The tourist office is here and gives out the walking map.

The route of the indianos and the market

From the Moreno corner, the route of the indiano legacy goes down through the San Roque district, where the mansions with glazed galleries, gardens with palm trees and towers designed to be seen from the street are concentrated. The Casa de Don Clemente, which joined two buildings into one, and Rúa Rodríguez Murias deserve a stop. The Plaza de Abastos, with exposed ironwork, was given to the town by the indiano Ramón González Fernández and opened in 1925 to a design by Ramiro Saiz; on Wednesdays there is a producers' market and in summer also on Sundays. Further down, beside the ría, are the Old Customs House and the fort of San Damián.

The tourist train

In July and August, and until 10 September, the Albatros V tourist train leaves from in front of the tourist office and in 50 minutes goes down to the port, runs along the seafront to the Illa Pancha lighthouse, where it stops for photos, and returns via San Roque and the market. It costs €7 for adults, €4 for ages 4 to 12 and nothing up to age 3. It works well with small children or if you prefer to see the whole without walking.

For lunch nearby, La Solana is a stone's throw from the port. If you sleep in the centre, the Hotel Rolle occupies a stone mansion between the port and the pedestrian streets.