Look for a grand, two-story stone building right in front of you, with a row of seven arches at ground level and white shuttered windows above, plus a fancy balcony beneath an ornate coat of arms and a big stone sun smiling down from the roof.
Here in Plaza de la Pedreira, surrounded by echoes of the past and the gentle clatter of footsteps, you’re standing at the entrance to something truly special: the Pazo de Mugartegui. Picture this square centuries ago, packed with heaps of stone-like a medieval DIY store-as builders hurried to stack them for not one, but three big projects: this very pazo, St. Bartholomew’s Church, and the Jesuits’ school. It’s no wonder folks dubbed it “the stonemason’s square”!
The pazo itself sprang up in the 1700s, commissioned by José Manuel Valladares y Figueroa, the Count of Fefiñáns-back in an era when powdered wigs were in fashion, and having your own coat of arms was even better than having a WiFi password. The stonework was so impressive that it took master mason Pedro Antonio Ferreiro two years just to finish the family crest! Find it right over the door, bigger than some modern family portraits, carved with the symbols of the Figueroa, Arango, Quirós, and Omaña lineages, all watched over by a rather cheerful stone sun, cheeks puffed out as if mid-whistle-maybe it’s practicing for the town festival?
Speaking of grand parties, the pazo has had more careers than a soap opera star! From noble mansion to teacher training college, cozy apartments, a famous study academy, and now headquarters for the Rías Baixas wine council. So yes, if you pick up the scent of Albariño grapes, you’re not imagining things-there’s a wine museum on the ground floor, and somewhere inside, serious people are busy making sure every bottle of local wine is up to scratch. The grand ballroom is now a stage for cultural events, art, and even weddings! And once a year, right from that balcony bursting with geraniums, a beloved Pontevedran steps out to launch the region’s biggest festival.
Soak in the smooth columns beside you-the supports for archways that once led to bustling stables, echoing with nickering horses and servants’s laughter. Imagine sunlight filtering through the windows, the sharp scent of stone and earth, and a terrace at the back where lords and ladies once eyed the Lérez River, making plans as the city hummed below. This place has survived collapsed houses, new owners, schoolchildren’s mischief, and now, the toast of modern celebrations. If this were a soap opera, it’d definitely never be canceled!
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