The town of the most famous cave paintings in Europe: welcome to Santillana del Mar

There is a widespread belief about traveling: you must leave the country to have a good vacation (and the farther, the better). The allure of the unknown makes everything new exciting, and consequently, "better". A plate of pasta from two different restaurants may taste the same, but if one is at the other end of the world, it will automatically seem better. Spain is a country rich in history, in culture, in gastronomy... but we think we can only find diversity in remote countries, when in reality, every corner of the country holds equally valuable treasures like Santillana del Mar.

The history of Santillana del Mar dates back to the 7th century when a group of monks arrived in an uninhabited area near the village of Planes with relics of a martyr named Juliana. The group built a simple hermitage and took possession of the lands. They began a process to repopulate the area with the support of the Astur-Leonese kingdom, constructing houses for farmers who began to work on the village lands, thus creating a town named "Sancta Luliana", from which the name Santillana is derived.

Altamira

One of the most important pieces of prehistoric rock art in Europe can be found in this locality of Cantabria. In 1879, D. Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola discovered the polychrome bison that have become a historic reference, along with many engravings and illustrations that adorn the walls of the Caves of Altamira.

Currently, they cannot be visited, but the Altamira Museum offers the opportunity to explore the Neocave: a three-dimensional recreation of the cave, created with meticulous scientific accuracy and innovative technologies to appreciate rock art up close. Additionally, the museum offers interactive activities such as witnessing an archaeological excavation or workshops to learn how to construct hunting tools like in prehistoric times.

This beach is small, about 100 meters long, but its beauty makes this picturesque spot a gem, despite its size. Like true treasures, the beach is hidden, and you must reach it via a steep path that adds adventure to the experience. In addition to its charm, Santa Justa beach is interesting for its anticline fold: a natural structure formed by the combination of tectonic forces and erosion, creating an arch of rock that rises above the beachline. This phenomenon provides testimony to geological processes over time.

As if that wasn't enough, you can also appreciate the Hermitage of Santa Justa, a small 16th-century chapel located in a cave in the cliff offering stunning views of the sea.

There are no remains of the monastery that was built to repopulate the area in the 12th century, but instead rests a Romanesque-style church frequented by pilgrims on their Camino de Santiago. Around 1425, the abbot of Santo Torino donated a relic of Lignum Crucis so that pilgrims could venerate it during the Camino de Santiago.

In addition to the points of interest, strolling through the colorful streets of Santillana del Mar is a good plan, as it is full of quirky craft shops that must be visited: furniture, bags, ceramics, shoes, ice cream... there is a wide variety of products to be found in these unique establishments.

The cuisine is one of the strong points of the north of Spain (well... is there any place in the country where it's not?), and the town offers bars and cafes to enjoy the terraces and restaurants to try traditional dishes from Cantabria such as cocido montañés, cocido lebaniego, calamari rings... or desserts like the Corbatas de Unquera or Sobao Pasiego.