The Colorful Amphitheater of Cudillero, This is the Prettiest Village in Asturias

The Cudillero that José Luis Garci's team arrived at in 1981 is both the same and different from today. The tiered houses that create the colorful amphitheater, a universal postcard of the most maritime Asturias, still remain, but daily life is no longer the same. It is now impossible to recover the kind of innocence of the 80s. This fishing village was one of the natural settings chosen to film Volver a empezar, the first Spanish film to win an Oscar forty years ago. >, the director said at the Hollywood awards ceremony. Time passes, but one can always return to (start) Cudillero.

Between San Esteban and San Juan de la Arena, the Nalón estuary forces a pause before reaching Muros de Nalón. What lies ahead is the geological wonder known as the Protected Landscape of the Western Asturian Coast. Its gateway is Cudillero, also known as Villa Pixueta due to the abundance of hake (the local name for this fish), one of the places to visit if you are on an itinerary along the west coast of Asturias.

The houses of Cudillero crowd together in a cubist fashion, as if they never want to lose sight of the sea, even though they cling to and rise up the mountain seeking a spot. They create a labyrinthine urban topography at various levels that can only be navigated by negotiating staircases and slopes with some effort. A harlequin labyrinth that every traveler hopes to see in Cudillero and where each façade is painted in a pastel color, which, as the locals like to say, comes from the leftover paint from the boats.

The maximum sense of verticality is obtained from the center of this labyrinth, from the dock and the Marina square, where one can observe the steep setting of the village, taking advantage of the mountains that act as a natural shelter for the traditional fishing fleet.

There's no way to get lost on the way to Cudillero's port because the parking area is right next to it. There's also the Tourist Information Office, and in front of it, the sign with the letters forming the name of the village. A decorative photo booth, as if the geolocation of the photos weren't enough. No, the Cudillero lighthouse is not painted white with red stripes as the letters depict. That's a concession to tourist marketing. But that doesn't mean it isn't one of the plans to do in Cudillero. One can walk from the stairs that begin at the Old Port, climbing up to Punta Roballera, overlooking the breaking waves.

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From the Old Port, you can start the route of the "official" viewpoints of Cudillero. Cudillero is one of those municipalities that enjoys being contemplated, and there's a good chance to do so from almost any corner. Additionally, there is a route of "official" viewpoints that can start from the Old Port, from which a staircase leads to the Garita viewpoint, a concrete lookout from which to enjoy a close view of the port and the sea to which the village owes so much, amidst the cacophony of seagulls amplified by the echo. Another sought-after perspective is from the Cimadevilla viewpoint, whose name already hints at the panoramic view it offers. The best views? Before choosing, one should pass by the viewpoints of Picu or Contorno at the very least.

The pixín can be ordered grilled, with cider, fried, with mushrooms or fabes, and this is just the beginning because Cudillero's romance with Cantabrian cuisine is much broader and holds a recipe book as unique as its own language. Eating is one of the best things to do in Cudillero. It's enough to find a pixueto spot to try the virrey, the curadillo -which can still be seen hanging on the doors of some houses today-, the fish stews, the botona or tiñosu, the bonito or the buchos, a type of merluza tripe from a highly elaborate cuisine that comes from that popular wisdom where the good stuff is for selling and the commonest is for home. In the Plaza del Comercio and surrounding areas, there will be no shortage of places to immerse yourself in Cudillero's gastronomy.

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The municipality of Cudillero is a beach universe with sandy areas of geological beauty such as San Pedro La Ribera, La Cueva, under a powerful cliff visible from the Sablón Viewpoint, and Oleiros beach. However, the prize goes to Silence beach, next to Castañeras, a powerful cove shaped like a crescent that opens between the dizzying cliffs and has become one of the must-do activities in Cudillero. Next to this one is Gueirúa beach, with its prehistoric landscape of sharp rocks emerging from the ocean.

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