Kingdom of Navarre. Land of diversity

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Summer

In summer Navarre explodes in red and white. In early July the Sanfermines take place and Pamplona overflows with fun. The fiestas also start In the Central Zone and in La Ribera ; Estella, Tafalla, Sangüesa and Tudela are other reference points for having a good time. The jota (folk song and dance) and the vacas bravas (steers) fill the streets. Falces is home to the amazing Encierro del Pilón (in which steers chase young men down a narrow track on a hillside) and Marcilla celebrates the Concurso de Lanzamiento de Rabiosa (hoe throwing competition).

The festivities in Olite and Estella are characterised by their historical flavour, as are the mediaeval dinners served in the cloister of the Carmelite convent in Sangüesa. In July Elizondo holds the Baztandarren Biltzarra, the main festivity of the towns and villages of the Baztán valley; it is a great opportunity to get to know the traditions of the area. On 13th July, at the Piedra de San Martín, a boundary stone on the border that separates the Roncal valley from its French counterpart of Baretous, the Tributo de las Tres Vacas (Tribute of the Three Cows) takes place. It is an ancestral ceremony in which the mayors of the Roncal valley receive three cows from their French counterparts for the right to use the pastures and the water in this border area for 28 days a year. In August the Artzai Eguna (Day of the Shepherd) is held in Uharte Arakil. It includes sheepdog trials and an Idiazábal cheese competition.

Visitors to Navarre in summer can take advantage of the Cultur programme, a carefully chosen series of activities in different places of artistic, natural and gastronomic interest. The castle at Olite also becomes the spectacular setting for a Classical Theatre Festival. Every two years the village of Obanos stages the Misterio de Obanos, a passion play declared a Festivity of National Tourist Interest that tells a mediaeval story related to the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago. Estella is also host to an annual Ancient Music Week, and the locality of Andelos recreates the customs of the Romans who lived there over 2,000 years ago.

The summer is a time to enjoy Nature, the long sunny days, and the pleasant climate of the Pyrenees and its villages and small museums. It is a time to dwell on a café terrace and taste the delightful pinchos (tapas) in the bars of Pamplona, go mountain walking along the Codés and Urbasa ranges or travelling along one of the 35 senderos (nature walks) of Tierra Estella basically, to discover monumental Navarre and its history.

At the table, it is the time for dishes from the market gardens of La Ribera. Many vegetables are present in Navarrese cuisine in the summer season: red piquillo peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes or green beans. You can also let yourself be seduced by popular dishes such as the zikiro-jate, a meal that is celebrated in the caves of Zugarramurdi during the annual festivities in August. The star dish is cordero a la estaca (literally, lamb on a stake).