The Place
Casa Grande de Trives is a noble 18thC stone mansion clustered around a solid central tower, crowned by a coat of arms showing a knight on horseback killing a dragon. For many years the house lay in a state of disrepair until the Alvarez family decided to renovate it in the late 1980s and open it as a posada, or little hotel. From the outside, the Casa Grande appears to be an imposing, aristocratic residence; but inside its thick walls all is elegant, cosy and welcoming. It is furnished and decorated with antiques and Limoges ceramics, and original watercolours adorn the walls. The 18thC piano is a decoration: Dona Adelaida now prefers a modern instrument.
Like any self-respecting big house, Pazo Casa Grande has its own chapel which every year, on the feast of Corpus Christi, is decorated with a carpet of flowers. Outside, there is a delightful garden with fruit trees and a copse of chestnuts. This is a popular base from which to follow the Route of the Monasteries (Ribera Sagrada) and the Romanesque Route, and in winter for skiing.