A historic route featuring Roman walls, ancient bridges, lush natural surroundings and an iconic cemetery of artistic and historical significance. Ideal for ...

The route following in the footsteps of Lugo’s illustrious inhabitants takes us from the Porta de Santiago to the San Froilán cemetery. We will explore the historic neighbourhood of A Ponte, the renowned parish of Piúgos and the lush natural surroundings. ROUTE We begin our route at the Porta de Santiago, one of the oldest gates in Lugo’s Roman wall. For centuries it was used exclusively by the church, providing access to the famous Hortas dos Bispos (now the O Carme neighbourhood). From there, we’ll head down towards the river along the Calzada da Ponte (an ancient Roman road) to join the Vía Romana XIX at the Ronda do Carme. We’ll walk straight on and follow the Vía Primitiva in the opposite direction until we reach the Roman Bridge (which dates back to the 1st century). Once past this point, we continue along the riverbank, passing the Caneiro do Muíño, and shortly after the Ponte Branca (Lugo’s most modern bridge) we’ll enter the spectacular path that will take us to the parish of Piúgos. We’ll pass by the church of Santiago de Piúgos and then head to the San Froilán cemetery: an iconic municipal cemetery dating from around 1948, a faithful repository of the city’s historical memory. Beyond its uniqueness and harmonious beauty, it boasts an interesting collection of funerary monuments relocated from the city’s old municipal cemetery, situated on Avenida Ramón Ferreiro, which lends it artistic and historical value. Today, the cemetery enjoys a fine reputation both for the activities organised in the area as part of its annual programme – designed to promote it as a place of rest, peace and personal reflection – and for its European profile, as it forms part of the European Historic Cemeteries Route. As a point of interest, it is worth noting that it stands on a megalithic necropolis, and in its immediate vicinity there are three burial mounds, or ‘mámoas’, which have yet to be excavated. It was designed by the architect Eloy Maquieira, one of the leading figures of Rationalist architecture in Galicia, and this style is evident in the essential rationality of its layout. It covers an area of 61,000 m², surrounded by a 1 km stone wall; to this, we must now add the area of the extension, totalling 55,730 m² plus the service areas. Our return to the starting point of the route will be via the Camino de Santiago, where we will enjoy spectacular views of the city.