Salas

Salas is a town and municipality in Asturias, situated in the Nonaya river valley in the western Asturian interior. The town is an important stage on the Camino Primitivo between the Salas approach and the higher mountain crossings heading westward.

The principal monument is the Castillo de los Valdés, a sixteenth-century noble residence with a characteristic cylindrical tower built for the Valdés family who also founded the collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor. Both buildings define the historic centre. Salas is also the birthplace of Fernando de Valdés Salas, the Grand Inquisitor who founded the University of Oviedo.

The town marks a transition on the Camino Primitivo: beyond Salas the route begins its demanding mountain crossing toward Pola de Allande, ascending through the increasingly rugged terrain of the western Asturian sierra.