The Silent Valleys
- Ordino -

Standing at a height of 1.298 m, Ordino is surrounded by woods and fields. The old part of the town is uniquely beautiful, featuring ancient stone houses with slate roofs.
lf you visit the oldest streets in the village you can discover:
  • The Rossell house: this house belongs to the Riba family, which was engaged in iron mining and metallurgical activities.
  • The Main square: attached to a wall there is an iron ring that was formerly used to fasten offenders for public exposure.
  • The sculpture "Homage to Reverend Cinto Verdaguer", made by the artist Roger Mas in 1992.
  • The church of Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià.
  • The Areny Plandolit Museum.
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Village of Ordino

lf your visit coincides with the Feast of the Rosary, which is celebrated on the first Sunday in July, or with the Festa Major (principal local Feast Day) on September 16, you can enjoy Ordino's festival atmosphere.

Two of the sights listed above are of special interest:

  • The church of Sant Corneli and Sant Cebrià: a parish church, built initially during Medieval times and changed considerably between the 17th and the 19th centuries. In its interior there are five Baroque altarpieces (17th and 18th century), dedicated to the patron saints of the church. An interesting feature is the 12th century Romanesque statue of the Virgin. Outside, in the square itseif, there is a comunidor, a small porch-like construc tion open on all four sides used in ceremonies to ask for protection frorn storms.
  • The Areny Plandolit Museum: the ancestral home of the Areny Plandolit family. This is a manor which was started in 1613 although most of the structures were built after 1633. This building was acquired by the Consell General in 1972, who restored it and transformed it into a museum. lnside there is a great variety of objects and pieces of furniture of very different styles. All the interior decoration takes us back to the family's days of splendor. The Areny Plandolits were a wealthy family who controlled part of the metallurgical industries which were developed in Andorra between the 16th and l9th Centuries. An important member of this family was Don Guillem d'Areny Plandolit, the baron of Senaller and Grarnanet, one of the forerunners of the 1866 polítical Nova Reforma (New Reform).
 
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The Areny Plandolit Museum

The most interesting rooms to visit are the Sala Noble and the library. The façade also has an interesting feature: a balcony dating back to 1849 made in the Areny forge, owned by the family.At the turn of the century, a large construction was built in the gardens to be used as a hotel, but before it was finished, it was decided to turn it into the National Science Museum. it was Andorra's first museum and was used as a museum until the fifties. This building has now become the Auditori Nacional d'Andorra (National Auditorium).

Museum visits by guided tour. Opening hours: frorn 9.30 am to 1.30 prn, and from 3 pm to 6.30 pm. Closed Sunday afternoons and Monday. Sundays and holidays from 10 am to 2 pm.

We also recomrnend a visit to the Nikolai Siadristry Museum of Microminiatures and the lconographic Museum of St Jordi (St George).

  • Nature itinerary: the road that runs to Canillo via the Coll (col) d'Ordino is crossed by other itineraries such as that of Bony de les Neres and the one that passes through the Montaup area to La Serrera peak. At Roc de Quer you will find the sculpture "Self-generating Structures" by the Mexican artist Jorge Du Bon.

The main road leads to some other towns of these valleys: SORNÀS