Barely more than 4,100 inhabitants, a few streets, and yet a myth. The old town that Jean-Paul Sartre describes in The Nausea was born in the 8th century around the monastery of Santa Juliana. Declared a national monument, Santillana del Mar - which is not by the sea - is in its entirety a village-museum that can boast of not having a single stone from the 18th century. This medieval village, considered one of the most beautiful in Spain, is of impeccable authenticity. Only the carpenters' workshops, a tractor or cows being led to water remind us that we are not only in a movie set.Santillana can be explored with your nose in the air, as you stroll through its emblazoned houses, cobbled streets and small hidden courtyards. In addition to the essential visits, you can also visit the Palacio de Peredo and the museum dedicated to the sculptor Jesús Otero. In the heart of Santillana, there are a number of artisanal stores and traditional grocery stores selling the specialties of the region, such as wild boar sausage or ceramic vases. In spite of the tourist trap atmosphere that emanates from them, it is necessary to recognize that the products are of good quality.A few steps from the center of the village is the Altamira cave, a real "Sistine Chapel of Prehistory" classified by Unesco and containing no less than 150 cave paintings, featuring, among other things, bison and bulls. As in Lascaux, a replica of the cave (and a museum) has been built next door.

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Collégiale Santa Juliana à Santillana del Mar. JavierGil1000 - iStockphoto.com
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