A large part of the essence of the Gipuzkoan coastline is condensed in this town of maritime culture, gastronomic prestige, and a passion for rowing.
Orio is Oria
It may seem like a simple phrase, but it cannot contain more meaning than what this place on the Basque coast holds. It is a phrase wholeheartedly embraced by its inhabitants, who tend to use it to refer to their hometown.
Indeed, the Oria River, the most voluminous and longest freshwater course in Gipuzkoa province, besides boasting the largest river basin, is the heart and soul of Orio. The river that begins on the slopes of the Aizkorri mountain range and ends its journey in the Cantabrian Sea, precisely beside its urban center, forms the foundation on which the town’s culture rests. And Orio is a river town, as they themselves say, but its direct outlet to the sea has traditionally granted it an inseparable bond with maritime culture.
Nevertheless, Orio has gone down in the history of the Basque Country as the place on whose coasts the last whale was hunted in the Cantabrian Sea, specifically on May 14, 1901, as the singer-songwriter and native of the town, Benito Lertxundi, recounts in his popular song Mila bederatziehun eta lehenengo urtean.
In fact, in the very same year another milestone of great importance in Orio’s historical-cultural context occurred: its rowing crew won its first La Concha flag, regarded as the most important rowing event on the Cantabrian coast. Since then, Orio has become the true reference in rowing, the most decorated, and a symbol of this sport that has replaced the old whale-hunting rowers with fierce athletes who devote all their passion to a pursuit that goes far beyond mere physical exercise and has grown into a genuine local sentiment.
The town dresses in yellow—the emblematic color of its crew—when there is a competition, supporting its crew with the same enthusiasm that, at the turn of the century, its inhabitants showed for the legendary San Nikolas. This passion is also shared with anyone who takes an interest in its culture when arriving in Orio, and you can experience tourist and sporting experiences in the center for the training of rowing and paddling in the town, Arraunetxe.
