On the occasion of the Princess of Asturias Awards, the foundation of the same name annually awards the distinction of Exemplary Village to one of the villages, population centers, landscape spaces or human groups of the Principality that show a special commitment to heritage and local traditions. This 2025 the award has gone to Valdesoto, a parish in the municipality of Siero that takes up the baton from Sotres, the Exemplary Village of Asturias 2024.
The history of the Exemplary Village of Asturias dates back to 1990, coinciding with the foundation’s tenth anniversary and framed within the Princess of Asturias Awards. This distinction seeks to recognize merit in the defense and conservation of nature and the artistic, historical, and cultural heritage in these regions. The prize is accompanied by a monetary reward and the traditional visit of the royal family, who come to meet personally the awarded village and its inhabitants.
This 2025 the visit of the royals to Valdesoto will take place in the morning of October 25, after the awards ceremony that will be held the night before. But, why did the Princess of Asturias Foundation want to give this recognition to this parish of Siero? The main reason, according to the Foundation when it announced the Exemplary Village 2025 on September 2, is none other than “its commitment and collective effort to keep alive and enhance the ancestral traditions that are handed down from generation to generation.”
A stroll through Valdesoto is enough to see how this statement materializes. In the parish there exists about thirty associations that are dedicated to culture, leisure, folklore, nature, tradition, or gastronomy. In short, they are groups of neighbors devoted to caring for their material and intangible heritage, their unique customs, and buildings that bear witness to the footprint of time in this town.
Iglesia de San Félix de Valdesoto (Siero)
What to See in Valdesoto, Asturias’ Exemplary Village 2025
In the parish of Valdesoto, palaces that attest to its noble past prevail, and the rural-style churches and chapels, protected by dreamlike landscapes. One of the most emblematic buildings of the new Exemplary Village is the Church of San Félix, whose main identifying feature is the striking yellow color of its exterior facade. Its origins date back to the thirteenth century, and the predominant style is Romanesque, although it also features elements of Gothic or Baroque, symbols of the passage of time for this mythical temple.
Among the civil buildings best preserved over the centuries we must highlight the Palace of the Marquis of Canillejas, also known as the Palace of Carreño or the Palace of Valdesoto. It dates from the 18th century and is characterized by its simple and austere design around a square courtyard surrounded by a wall. This palace was embellished in the 19th century with gardens that, according to tradition, were inspired by the gardens of Versailles themselves, with a clearly French style of the most special. Today, in addition to bearing witness to Valdesoto’s patrimonial wealth, it is also one of the preferred venues for wedding celebrations.
Valdesoto Palace
Otro de los edificios más populares de Valdesoto es la Casa de las Justicias, un conjunto del siglo XVIII de estilo barroco compuesto por una casona, una capilla, una panera de roble y un hórreo. Dentro de su capilla se encuentra un espectacular retablo tallado en madera de particular interés artístico. También merece la pena acercarse a conocer la capilla de San Juan Evangelista, la de San Agustín de Castiello o el palacio del Valle, todos ellos magníficos ejemplos de la historia y el valor artístico que tiene la parroquia.
But if there is something significant in Valdesoto’s architectural heritage, those are the horreos and paneras. The horreos are old square wooden stores raised from the ground by pillars that were used as granaries or pantries and that are very characteristic of the area. In total, the area has more than one hundred horreos and three paneras, which, thanks to the care of their inhabitants, are kept in perfect condition.
The cultural value of Valdesoto does not lie solely in these buildings of great beauty and historical importance; its traditions also play a fundamental role, and how they have been transmitted from generation to generation is one of the arguments justifying the distinction awarded by the Princess of Asturias Foundation. Among the most characteristic popular festivals of Valdesoto, it is worth highlighting the Sidros and Comedies, a winter masquerade in which folklore and theater go hand in hand to create a spectacle worth seeing.
The Sidros are characters who dress in white, with a belt and a red mask and covered with sheep fur. Their mission is to announce the arrival of The Comedy, which is why they wear a staff and a bell that draw attention while helping to maintain order. The Comedy, for its part, consists of a theatrical performance in which archetypal characters appear who recount the milestones of the last year in the Asturian language.
The rural tradition of Asturias is celebrated in the Parade of the Carriages, a festival that is more than half a century old and that is encompassed within the San Félix Festival. The various neighborhood clubs organize to create their own floats that commemorate Asturian customs and, at each stop, a theatrical performance is carried out, also organized by the residents themselves.
