Laza

Laza is a proper Galician village, larger than you'd expect to find this deep in the mountains. A number of restaurants cluster around the centre -- La Picota is a favourite among locals. The albergue is a newer building on the edge of town, run by the local Proteccion Civil. Pick up the key at their office adjacent to the Casa do Concello as you come into town.

The village is best known for something you're unlikely to witness unless you're walking in February or March: the Entroido de Laza, one of the wildest and most ancient carnival celebrations in Galicia. The peliqueiros -- masked figures wearing spectacular costumes weighing about 15 kg, complete with wooden mitres and belts hung with heavy bells called chocos -- burst through the streets. Monday brings the farrapada, a mud-and-rag fight with no rules and no teams, followed by A Morena, a wooden cow that fills the plaza with flour and ants. The Entroido isn't a show put on for tourists. It's a community ritual with pre-Christian roots that Laza has kept alive for centuries, and the locals will tell you it belongs to them.

Even without the carnival, Laza has a quiet charm. The stone houses, the valley setting, the unhurried pace -- it's a place that rewards an evening stroll.