Galician Palace Gardens

ABOVE: A statue guards a boatlike island in the Pazo de Oca's pond.

In the Spanish region of Galicia, a pazo is a privately-owned palace with three essential elements:

A noble family's coat of arms;

A private chapel dedicated to a Galician saint or saints;

A garden with oaks and cypresses.

In the countryside around Santiago de Compostela, two such pazos are open to visitors: the Pazo de Oca near Ourense, and the Pazo Santa Cruz de Rivadulla close by. Both are worth seeing if you're a gardening enthusiast, and one--the Pazo de Oca--deserves a visit even if your hobbies don't include horticulture.

Next page: Pazo de Oca

In this article:

Galician Palace Gardens - Introduction

Pazo de Oca

Pazo Santa Cruz de Rivadulla

Also see:

Santiago de Compostela

The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago (book review)

Related Web sites:

Turgalicia - Galicia Tourism

Turespaña - Spain Tourism

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