Bera (Sp. Vera de Bidasoa) – a town and municipality located in the Foral Community of Navarre, in the Pamplona merindad, in the Cinco Villas region, Atlantic Pyrenees, Spain.
Cinco Villas de la Montaña or simply Cinco Villas (in Basque, Bortziriak or Bortzerriak) is a region and a sub-zone located on both sides of the Bidasoa River, in the north of Navarre.
Bordering France and Basque country, it is made up of the five municipalities of Arantza, Yanci, Lesaka, Etxalar and Bera and is part of the Merindad de Pamplona. It is an area with a Basque-speaking majority.
Main attractions
Calle Legia, which joins the two population centers, gives the visitor the image of the only Gothic house in the town.
A walk through the streets of this municipality reveals a beautiful collection of manor houses. Illustrious families lived in some, such as the Itzea de los Baroja house.
Likewise, you will be surprised by the Town Hall, a baroque building with polychrome murals painted with allegorical motifs. The drawings were made by Julio Caro Baroja.
Some of the ancestral dances preserved in Navarre contain ancient rites related to agricultural and livestock activities. This is the case of the Malkildantza de Bera in which the movements of the dancers reproduce the work of weeding. The patron saint festivities of the town are celebrated at the beginning of August in honor of San Esteban.
Parish of San Esteban Protomartir. This church houses one of the best organs in Europe. Guided tours are offered, with a bit of luck accompanied by organ music.
Bera has historically had a great musical tradition. Among the musicians and composers born or residing in the town we can find the tenor Isidoro Fagoaga (1893–1976), Patxi Urchegui Egozcue, the brothers Mikel Irazoki and Fernan Irazoki, Joseba Irazoki, the pianist Javier Pérez de Azpeitia, the singer-songwriter Petti. Also noteworthy is the ERTZ International Festival of Other Music, which has been held continuously since 2000.
How to get to?
From Pamplona 58 min (63.4 km) via N-121-A
From Madrid 4 hr 47 min (496 km) via A-1 and AP-1
Main information
Area: 35 km²
Coordinates: 43°16′42″N 1°40′57″W
Population: 3759
Languages: Spanish, Basque
Currency: Euro
Visa: Schengen
Time: Central European UTC +1
