Blog
Explore Pamplona’s rich heritage—Roman origins, medieval kingdom of Navarre, Hemingway’s influence, bull traditions, and the cultural significance of San Fermín.
Most of what gets written in English about Sancho VII el Fuerte, king of Navarre from 1194 to 1234, treats his epithet as a battlefield compliment: he supposedly…
Miguel Induráin's Navarra legacy didn't end in 1996. See the statues, foundation, and annual races that still carry his name today.
San Cernín, known as San Saturnino, not San Fermín, is Pamplona's actual patron saint, and his own legend ends with a bull.
Most English-language accounts of the Carlist Wars in Navarra describe a single ending: three civil wars fought across northern Spain between 1833 and 1876, all in defense of…
Every English-language profile of Rafael Moneo tells the same story: born in Tudela, Navarra, in 1937, first Spanish architect to win the Pritzker Prize, designer of the Cathedral…
The trikitixa, the two-row Basque diatonic button accordion heard at every romería and festival square from Bilbao to Pamplona, sounds like it should be ancient. Basque culture markets…
Fernando el Católico didn't conquer an empty throne in 1512. Catalina de Navarra was still Navarra's queen, and this is the story of her fall.
A txistu has three holes and no keys, yet spans two octaves. The 18th century redesign, and Pamplona's own txistu institution since 1960.
Ask why San Fermín goes global every July and most answers stop at Hemingway. The real machinery is a city press office credentialing hundreds of journalists a year.
Gustavo de Maeztu, the painter tied to Navarra, was born in Vitoria and did not arrive until 48. The real story behind his Estella museum.