Ruta de la Plata

Lena is magnificently situated; this has been favoured by the opening of the RENFE railway and roads like the N-630 and the A-66 Oviedo-Campomanes. Its strategic placement explains why today it still conserves original highways such as the Roman Road of La Carisa or historical trails such as the Camino de Santiago (Jacobean Trail).

It is a territory rich in culture, folk history and nature, although it is Santa Cristina, a unique gem of Asturian pre-Romanesque art declared Heritage of Mankind in 1985, which is the treasure of the people of Lena.

Its country setting means that high up in the mountains Lena possesses the Protected Spaces of Las Ubiñas and El Aramo, and that its beech woods (Valgrande) were named by Alfonso X, el Sabio, as a "Real Sitio de los Osos" (Royal Bear Site).

Within this matchless setting, it is no surprise that the Huerna Valley has received the Prince of Asturias Exemplary Village award for its scenery, its ethnographic interest and its folks. It is a privileged spot in which to enjoy Rural Tourism. Refuge is also to be found high up in the mountains in the Refugio de Meicín, in the village of Tuiza de Arriba. Another alternative is the Brañillín Ski Resort (Valgrande), which offers both winter and summer leisure activities.

Today, Lena is included in the Central Mountains territory, a region that forms part of the Asturian Mining Valleys Dynamization Plan for Tourism and combines its nature heritage in perfect harmony with the lesser, though no less interesting, industrial heritage.