This is the landscape of Sotres, the beautiful Asturian Exemplary Village awarded by Leonor: livestock, Cabrales and hiking

The Exemplary Village that will culminate this year’s Princess of Asturias Awards, which are now in their 44th edition, has been revealed. The residents of the Asturian town of Sotres, in the municipality of Cabrales, will host the visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and their daughters next October. Leonor, honorary president of the awards that bear her name, will present the recognition in a speech.

The heiress is preparing for October, the month that brings together the most important institutional events of the year. One of the big events is Oviedo. There, at the Campoamor Theatre, we will see Leonor present the awards to Joan Manuel Serrat and Carolina Marín. These will be the most eagerly awaited photographs of the ceremony. Serrat, winner of the Arts Award, has been distinguished for his artistic career “that transcends music” and for the lyrics of his songs as a collective anthem “with universal will”. Also, Carolina Marín, award in the Sports category. The champion from Huelva, who was once number one in the world ranking, left us with the most moving image of the Paris Olympics. Crying on the floor, after suffering a torn cruciate ligament in her knee and two menisci, Carolina collapsed during the badminton semi-final against the Chinese He Bing Jiao.

The Royal Family’s visit to Sotres will bring this year’s awards ceremony to a close. Don Felipe, Doña Letizia and their daughters will walk through the town’s most emblematic streets and have the opportunity to meet its neighbours, with whom they will share a traditional country lunch.

Cabrales cheeses and mountaineering

Sotres, a Biosphere Reserve (Unesco) and Picos de Europa National Park, is almost the highest point in the Principality with its more than 1,000 metres of altitude. With 108 inhabitants, its economic activity is based on the livestock and grazing of goats, cows and sheep and the countryside and the production of Cabrales cheese. Mountaineering is one of the attractions thanks to the landscape of Naranjo de Bulnes and Picu Uriellu, whose first ascent will be 120 years old this 2024. In the memory of the town, the mining footprint of the 19th century, when 300 people worked for the extraction of lead and blende, is still in the memory of the town. In 1978, the Royal Asturian Mining Company closed the last mine. The protection of the environment has led the Sotres Neighbourhood Association to recover old paths and natural trails, such as the Pandébano path, the route from Collau Timón to La Caballar and the Sotres circular route.