Iturmendi: Maypole, Aitzaga and the Bernoa Route

Iturmendi lies on the Araquil River, between the Sierra de Urbasa and the Sierra de Aralar. The area offers several different points of interest: an annual May tradition, Romanesque architecture, inscriptions in Basque and signposted hiking trails. If you are planning a hotel stay in Iturmendi, these highlights can help you tailor your trip to the occasion. The Bernoa Route and the village’s historic buildings are especially notable.

Location and routes in the Bernoa area

The GR 323 Bernoa is a cultural and nature trail in the heart of Sakana, comprising 64 kilometres of signposted hiking routes. One branch of the Bernoa Route, which passes through Etxarri-Aranatz and Bakaiku, meets the Bernoa cart track in the Aizkibel-Mandabita area of Iturmendi. These details illustrate two different scales: the 64 kilometres of signposted hiking routes on the one hand, and a specific meeting point in the Iturmendi area on the other. This gives you a sense of both the wider hiking network and a particular connection within the village.

The Stations of the Cross in Iturmendi runs between the village centre and Aitzaga. It consists of stone crosses bearing historic inscriptions in Basque. Unlike the Bernoa branch, where the meeting with the cart track defines the local connection, here the crosses and inscriptions shape the route. This distinction helps you understand the two route themes by their features rather than just their names.

Buildings, inscriptions and the village square

The Aitzaga Hermitage is a Romanesque building from the 12th century and retains its original portal. The parish church of San Miguel dates from the 17th and 18th centuries; its main altar is dated 1740. The religious architecture thus includes both a medieval Romanesque building and a precisely dated altar from a later period.

Kurtederia House has a coat of arms dated 1706, bearing one of the oldest surviving Basque inscriptions in Navarre. Iturmendi also has several stone and wooden manor houses from the 18th century. Alongside the religious buildings, the coat of arms with its connection to the language and the manor houses offer further points of cultural and historical interest. The Basque inscriptions link the house and the route thematically: at the house, they form part of the coat of arms; along the Stations of the Cross, they appear on the stone crosses.

During the annual May festival, Día del Mayo, a maypole approximately 20 metres high is erected in the middle of the village square on 1 May. If you are planning your trip around this tradition, 1 May is the date to keep in mind. Also on the village square is the Fuente del Águila Negra, or Black Eagle Fountain, built in 1767. The square thus brings together a recurring annual event and a fountain with a specific historical date.

Getting there

Iturmendi is served by the Pamplona–Vitoria-Gasteiz bus route; check the specific service with the operator before travelling. Iturmendi is located next to the N-240-A national road and the Autovía de la Barranca motorway.

Discover more destinations: Saragüeta, Marcilla, Ostiz, San Adrián, Aranarache, Zubieta, Etxalar, Torres Del Río.

For the main travel overview: Navarre.