Cudillero

Cudillero occupies a ravine so narrow that the village had no room to spread, so it built upward: houses in strong colours stacked on both sides of the cleft in tiers, each with a view over the roofs below to the small harbour at the bottom, which gives the standard comparison to an amphitheatre. Stairways and steep lanes connect the levels, and the main square at the harbour is filled with restaurant tables. The village has a distinct local speech, pixueto, an Asturian variety with its own vocabulary from the fishing trade. Viewpoints above, particularly the Cimadevilla mirador, give the composed view. La Amuravela, held each June, is a satirical sermon in pixueto reviewing the year's events.

What you actually see

• The stacked houses - painted tiers rising on both sides of the ravine.
• The harbour square - restaurant tables at the bottom of the cleft.
• The miradors - viewpoints above giving the amphitheatre composition.
• The pixueto speech - a distinct local variety of Asturian.

When to go

May, June, September and October; August fills the village and its limited parking. La Amuravela falls on 29 June. Asturian rain is frequent in any month.

Honest expectations

Parking is above the village and the walk down is steep, with a hard climb back. The harbour square is entirely restaurants at visitor prices. The village is small and seen in two hours.

Nearby

Playa del Silencio lies west; Aviles and Oviedo are east and south.