a small village with less than 100 inhabitants and untouched nature

Luis Enrique has his most intimate nook in western Asturias.

Removed from the spotlights of Paris, Barcelona or any massive European stadium, the Asturian coach takes refuge when he can in Soirana, a tiny village subsequent to the Cantabrian Sea, the place the panorama and silence have rather more weight than tactical techniques or press conferences.

Soirana belongs to the council of Navia, inside the parish of Puerto de Vega, and overlooks the ocean from the coastal degree, in a form of inexperienced balcony about 40 meters above the extent of the Cantabrian Sea.

The figures assist to grasp the kind of refuge we’re speaking about: round 30 houses, lower than 100 neighbors and a compact hamlet construction surrounded by meadows, eucalyptus bushes and paths that result in the cliffs.

It’s a typical panorama of western Asturias, however nonetheless outdoors the overcrowding that does attain different better-known enclaves within the area.

Soccer seems right here solely in conversations, not on banners or museums. There aren’t any massive monuments or luxurious motels, though there are some rural homes and small lodging that make the most of the pull of quiet tourism.

What distinguishes Soirana is the sensation of being at one finish of the map: slender roads, few lights at evening and that background noise that the ocean makes when it breaks in opposition to the low, rocky coast.

For somebody like Luis Enrique, accustomed to the day by day strain of the bench, it’s a excellent situation to vanish for just a few days and recuperate easy routines.

One of many pure symbols of the surroundings is the so-called Isla de Vega or Soirana, a rocky islet off the coast that features virtually as an area emblem.

It is vitally frequented by fishermen and marked on the routes of the Senda Costera Naviega, nevertheless it continues to protect a wild air: sophisticated entry, tough seas and clear views in the direction of a horizon through which you not often see greater than fishing boats or some distant freighter.

Round, the paths will let you stroll for kilometers alongside cliffs and meadows, with out encountering extra individuals than just a few neighbors or extensively distributed vacationers.

Soirana’s relative isolation also has a historical layer. In the surroundings is the so-called Castiel de Soirana, remains of an old fortified enclosure that recall the strategic past of this strip of coast.

Today, however, the ‘battle’ is different: that of keeping a small village alive in a rural Asturias that is losing population, while trying to take advantage of respectful tourism that values ​​authenticity and landscape over noise.

For Luis Enrique, the link with this corner goes beyond the anecdotal: it is part of his Asturian family and sentimental roots, a place where the public figure of the coach is diluted and what remains is simply the neighbor who walks, rides a bike or looks at the sea as one of them.