Noia
Noia - Overview:
The coastal town of Noia, also spelt 'Noya', is a thriving town on the Galician coast of Spain. It combines a medieval old quarter and historic ancestry with some attractive local beaches and genuine Galician culture. Noia started life as a small fishing village over 1000 years ago, but is now a holiday town during the summer months with most of its population working in the nearby city of Santiago de Compostela.
Noia has a medieval district and there are several beaches nearby, the closest being 'la praia de Testal'. Most holiday visitors to the area are from Spain with many travelling from Madrid, Barcelona and other major Spanish cities during Spain's holiday month of August. It is during this month that Noia, and many other towns in Galicia, have their main festivals. These festivals can last for several days and involve music (both traditional and pop/rock), dancing, fairs, fireworks and special markets.
The spectacular scenery and stunning beaches offer a different kind of Spanish holiday, away from the commercialism that has taken over many parts of Spain. Noia is still known throughout Spain for its delicious shellfish (mainly clams) harvested in the Autumn at the local beach of Testal. Over recent years however, Noia has evolved into a mixed economy, with a significant part of its revenue being generated through summer tourism.
Located only 35km from Santiago de Compostela, many of its inhabitants commute to Santiago daily, a journey of around 40 minutes.
Noia - Geography:
Noia is ideally situated on the coast at the junction of two estuarial rivers, the 'Tambre' and 'Traba', with a backdrop of the 'San Marcos' mountains. Galicia has a coastline very similar to that of Norway with dozens of bays and inlets (called rias) littering the shoreline, nearly all hiding spectacular, and often deserted beaches.
Noia - Beaches:
A fitting description of Noia during the summer months would be a typical Galician seaside town. The nearest beach, la praia de Testal is a 15 to 20 minute walk or 5 minute car journey from Noia, and there are over 30 beaches within a forty minute drive down the coast in either direction.
Noia - Sight-seeing:
Noia has two main focal points, the first is the new town square or plaza (la Alameda), which is lined with palms and located adjacent to both the Town Hall and an old Franciscan church.
The second is the original and ancient medieval district in the older part of Noia, with some buildings dating back 1000 years. Both of these areas have many bars serving coffee, tapas and stronger beverages and they tend to be the social centres for both residents and holiday makers during the weekends and evenings.
The main town square or plaza in Noia (called la Alameda in Spain), is in fact to the side, rather than at the centre of Noia. It is faced by Noia's Town Hall, a Franciscan church, a mansion house called Varela Radio and a large apartment block with cafe bars at ground level.
The Alameda also has a fresh spring water fountain to the side of the Franciscan church which people continually use to fill up their empty evian bottles. Within the gardens adjoining this area there is a bust of the famous Galician sculptor, Felipe de Castro, from whom the gardens take their name.
Noia's town hall, the Casa do Concello, although old in appearance, only dates from the 1950s. It does however contain some of the original cloisters from the Convent (Claustro Franciscano) which originally occupied the site.
Noia's new square is in two sections. The area nearest the town is set amid gardens with some small lawns, trees and flowers, whilst the main part of the plaza is tiled and lined with both palm and deciduous trees.
The main square is extensive in size and locals and holiday makers alike can be seen strolling its length on an evening before relaxing in one of the adjacent bars for a drink. In Spain these communal areas still have great social significance and are normally well maintained and used.
The main plaza is a major focal point in the social life of Noia and is of sufficient size to host the larger concerts during the festival season, as well as many other smaller shows and exhibitions throughout the rest of the year.
Noia - Shopping:
Noia has a couple of main roads running through it, bisected by another very old street, from which most of the lesser roads and paths originate. It has four supermarkets and also has a large number of shoe shops.
Noia has a two storey indoor market in the older part of town selling meat, produce and other items. Noia also has two weekly outdoor markets on Thursday and Sunday mornings. These markets sell a wide variety of clothes, some household goods and produce (some local and some from travelling market traders). The market occupies several small and one large street in the lower part of the town. Some good deals can be had, but generally prices are similar to those found in local shops. On the first and third Sunday of each month the market extends up to and sometimes around the church of San Martino. A further, themed market, takes places annually and is located around the towns large plaza during Noia's main festival in August.
Noia - Gastronomy:
Cake shops, of which there are three (two of which have a cafe within them), are something special in Noia. Cakes are sold by weight and additionally, they specialize in mini cakes, one or two mouthfuls in size (this is the case throughout both Galicia and Spain). This means that you can get three or four mini cakes (all different) for the price of one standard cake. Ideal if you have a sweet tooth.
Noia - History and architecture:
One of the oldest buildings in Noia is a church, Igrexa de San Martino (St. Martin's Church), built in 1434. It is in one of Noia's original squares, in the medieval district, and is representative of Galician Gothic architecture within the region.
Noia was the seat of the Archbishop in this principality of Spain from 1168 to 1812 and another of the buildings in this plaza, adjacent to St. Martin's, was formerly the Archbishop's palace. This small square was renovated in the 1950's and represents the oldest and most original part of Noia, it also hosts some of the smaller and more traditional concerts during festival season.
There are in fact 3 different squares around San Martino, the Tapal, Fanequeira and Canton and in days gone by they represented the hub of Noia. Immediately opposite the main facade of San Martino's is a predominantly white building. This structure contains a section of old granite wall which dates back to the time of San Martino's and is the only remaining part of the Churruchaos country house. The arched window contained within it is gothic and there is a story associated with this window and torture. Another building on this piazza still has the original Archbishops coat of arms emblazoned upon it, a relic from Noia's days as the seat of the Archbishop.
Although there is a defined part of Noia which is almost exclusively medieval, the rest of the old district has many buildings dating back to this era and very few buildings are less than a couple of hundred years old. Most properties in the locality are terraced and many feature balconies from the first floor up. There are also many buildings which are older than they appear, the result of white rendered facades being applied over the original granite stone traditional to the region of Galicia.
Noia - Activities:
Noia has a sports hall, indoor swimming pool and tennis courts as well as several banks, all with cash machines, plus estate agents, hairdressers etc. Fishing and Sailing are also available in Noia.
Noia - Our holiday accommodation and service:
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So, if you're looking for an activity holiday walking, cycling and trekking or climbing in Northern Green Spain's mountains and countryside; exploring La Coruna's fascinating Galician villages, rural towns and historic cities such as Santiago de Compostela; following the historic pilgrims' routes; enjoy bird watching, nature, fancy a spot of surfing, swimming, sunbathing or relaxing on great beaches; sampling fabulous Galician seafood or you just want to simply escape the tourism masses with a privately owned apartment, cottage or villa with a pool, call our holiday team today. We can also assist you with flights to La Coruna and Galicia, ferry travel and holiday car hire.
