Logroño, a meeting point and crossroads of the north of the peninsula, cannot be understood without good wine and a pintxo to accompany it if possible on Calle Laurel, even better. However, the capital of La Rioja is more than its gastronomy and wines: it’s hospitality, tradition, dynamism, art, and nature.

Discover Local - Logroño - EN

San Mateo is not Logroño's patron saint's day, although many people think otherwise, but nowadays it is arguably the most important popular celebration in the city. It is also known as the grape harvest festival, as it is held at the end of September and wine is never lacking. In its gastronomic market, farmers and traders take the opportunity to bring out the best products of the season.

📍It is held in the Market Square, but also extends to many other areas of the city.

🍽Try the potatoes with chorizo, the sausages and the chuletillas de sarmiento (vine shoot cutlets), you won't regret it!

🎉The San Mateo fair is not all about eating, there are also pelota competitions, giants and big-heads and parades.

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San Mateo Fair

Red, green or yellow, round or pointed, big or small, but always tasty. Peppers, whether for the sauce or to give the final touch to recipes, are an essential ingredient in the Spanish culinary tradition. What less than to dedicate a market of their own to them, right? The people of Logroño didn't think twice and reserved an exclusive space for this very local product.

🗓It is held almost every day of the year, with the exception of special dates such as 1st November.

📍It is located in the Joaquín Elizalde square.

👨‍🌾All the stalls are certified by the town council and belong to local farmers.

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Pepper market

If we look up in the Iregua Valley, we’ll find sedimented mountain ranges, reddish soil, and holes. Yes, holes in the walls of the mountains. You can only contemplate this peculiar landscape in the village of Nalda. Among the cavities of the Los Palomares cave lies the rock-cut tomb complex, from Roman times: niches excavated in the wall that served to contain funerary urns.   \n 

📸It’s the largest cave complex in the Iregua Valley, with a length of 75 meters.   \n 🏡Some historians claim they were also dwellings in medieval times.   \n 💭They were baptised as palomares (in English, “pigeon lofts”) because they are currently used for pigeon breeding.

Perforated mountain ranges in the Iregua valley

Under the arches of the emblematic Plaza Nueva is Logroño's picturesque flea market. A melting pot of opportunities that brings together families, young and old and even pets with a single mission: to see what they can find. Collectors and vintage lovers, this is the place for you.

🕗Open Sundays 10:00 to 14:00h.

🗓Held every Sunday, there is no excuse not to go if you are spending a weekend in Logroño.

ℹ️Find out all the details at [amigosdelmercadodelogrono.blogspot.com.es](http://amigosdelmercadodelogrono.blogspot.com.es)

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The Logroño trail

In the heart of Logroño, behind a façade adorned with large columns, angular arches, and colourful windows alongside the sign “plaza de abastos” (in English, “marketplace”), lies the Mercado de San Blas. Among greetings and some morning gossip, one can wander through its stalls discovering smells, textures, and flavours that will whet their appetite and enrich their perception of the city. \n 

💭The building, designed by the Riojan architect Fermín Álamo, was inaugurated in 1930. \n 📍The market is located at Calle Sagasta, 1, in the city centre. \n 🚫On Sundays, the Lord’s Day, it is closed

Daily life at Mercado de San Blas

Works by Miquel Barceló, Jaume Plensa, Ana Soler, Richard Deacon, and Blanca Muñoz fill the halls. And no, they’re not from the Tate Modern, nor the MoMA, nor the Reina Sofía, nor the MACBA, but from the Würth Museum in Logroño. Housed under a functionalist glass building, its solid permanent collection alternates with temporary exhibitions and cultural and educational events, placing the Riojan city on the national and international contemporary art scene. \n 

💭Its facilities also exhibit works from the Würth art collection from Germany, considered one of the leading collections in Europe. \n 🎟It’s super affordable, with entry costing only 3 euros. \n 🚌If you don’t have a car, the M7 bus drops you off practically at the door

Discover Local - Logroño - EN

Daily life at Mercado de San Blas

The MoMa of Logroño

Perforated mountain ranges in the Iregua valley

The Logroño trail

Pepper market

San Mateo Fair