Puerto del Rosario

The writer and professor at the University of Salamanca don Miguel de Unamuno was confined to the island of Fuerteventura due to his confrontations with the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera for criticism of the political situation in Spain. Unamuno lived for 4 months in Fuerteventura and more than a punishment, his stay on the island turned the writer into a gift. He became friends with many inhabitants, especially with the intellectual Ramón Castañeyra with whom he enjoyed social gatherings at the writer's house. This house is located in Puerto del Rosario, in front of the church of the town. The building was once a hotel, it was hosted by Professor Miguel de Unamuno after the banishment order. This House-Museum has the objective of spreading the work that the playwright produced in Fuerteventura. The house is a construction that has all the details of Canarian domestic architecture of the early twentieth century. It has access hall to the house, rooms that overlook a central courtyard with water tank that collects rainwater. During his stay, the writer delved into Fuerteventura in his vision of a Spain Quixotic; the narrowness of Malpaís, the fauna and flora or the sea will be universal elements integrated into your thinking. In many of his writings is reflected the footprint that the island was for his work and how it connected with his metaphysical and aesthetic thinking. Miguel de Unamuno called the hotel that ran Paco Medina, his innkeeper and there were many gatherings with friends from the Canary Islands and the Peninsula. , Francisco López, official, the fisherman Antonio Hormiga, the parish priest Victor San Martín or the aforementioned Ramón Castañeyra were some of the friendships that were part of the animated talks. The Basque writer had an intense activity, discover Canarian authors, write articles, start the sonnets that will appear in his work From Fuerteventura to Paris. For a better knowledge of the figure of the writer, you just have to visit the House-Museum.

Puerto del Rosario is also known by the name of the City of Sculpture. It receives this name due to the sculptural park that compose more than 100 sculptures and that are located in many places of public of the city. The large number of sculptures that populate all the points of Puerto del Rosario turns the city into an open-air museum. Since the beginning of the year 2000 many artists have looked for a corner of this city to exhibit some of their works. Strolling through the capital of Fuerteventura you can find all kinds of sculptures, from characters like Unamuno, Suso Machín or Manuel Velázquez going through animals like goats or stonechat and reaching symbolic forms as sirocco. The sculptures distributed by Puerto del Rosario are a tribute to popular customs and customs, to the culture of the island and, in general, to the inhabitants of this special place. You can start from the sculpture that is in La Explanada, which is the historic center from which the city began to grow, it was here where the main pier and the small dock were located. This is called La Fuente de la Explanada. From here begins the tour that will take all visitors to find in each corner of Puerto del Rosario wonderful artistic works. For example Caracolas, a set of 4 sculptures signed by Juan Bordes, between the commercial dock and La Explanda. Other outstanding works can be Pescador de Viejas, made in granite from the Betancuria area of the artist Juan Miguel Cubas. Offering to the Sea belongs to the artist Demetrio Martín, in Barrio de Negrín, right at the seafront. Continuing we can find Tribute to the Moon from Rinaldo Paluzzi, Skeleton of A Whale, A Tropical Whale that forms part of the project La Senda de los Cetacáceos, which emerges from the collaboration between the Cabildo de Fuerteventura and the Canarias Conservación association. Overseas Baggage from Eduardo Úrculo, or Las Cabras from Emiliano G. Hernandez. So up to about 130 works of art scattered on the street.

Playa Chica, which is also known as Los Pozos beach, is an urban beach located a short distance south of Puerto del Rosario, the capital of Fuerteventura. It is of little swell and white sand.

Puerto del Rosario has one of the most beautiful and charming beaches of Fuerteventura, Playa Blanca. A few minutes from the capital of the island is not only a good option for the inhabitants of the city, it is also an interesting destination for visitors since it is not a beach crowded by tourism. A quiet place, with clean and transparent waters, white and thin sands and ample space to lay the towel, with a width that exceeds 40 meters by almost 1 kilometer long. Playa Blanca was remodeled in 2008, it proceeded to the subject of dunes, change of furniture, improvement of access and other actions that made the beach one of the best in Fuerteventura. This remodeling has served the beach to obtain several times the distinctive of Blue Flag. The beach offers numerous services for visitors, has a wooden walkway to access the sand, showers adapted with lavapies, adapted toilets , playground, lifeguard base with lifeguards during the service season, sunbeds, umbrellas, ample parking and a long list of equipment for the use and enjoyment of the users. Playa Blanca is not only intended for bathers or sea lovers who want to enjoy a quiet day at the beach, water sports enthusiasts like kitesurfers , surfing, windsurfing and other sports activities can enjoy the wide offer. There are Beach Soccer, Beach Handball, Beach Volleyball tournaments as well as sailing regattas, swimming trips between the nearby Playa Chica and a long list of activities designed for all public. The surf is not usually very strong, but as there are no protective barriers there are days when you have to be careful with the bathroom to avoid any setbacks.

Discovering the more traditional side of Fuerteventura is possible thanks to Ecomuseo de la Alcogida, located very close to Puerto del Rosario and the population of Tefir. The houses of the enclosure were inhabited until the seventies being restored from 1992. This peculiar museum is not only limited to exposing handicraft works that makes transport to its visitors to the way of working of the craftsmen of yesteryear , but the same visitors can make their own pieces. The site is composed of seven rehabilitated houses that show the architectural style of the island with great detail, from the simple and sober peasant's house to the stately homes with balconies and wooden stairs with two floors and tiles. The Ecomuseum of the Alcogida is a living and interactive museum, it is possible to receive explanations from the craftsmen who worked these crafts formerly: agriculture, livestock, handicrafts of the palm, the draft , the mud or the loom. The museum takes a tour through the life of the peasants majoneros from the XIX century until a few years ago, when the trades were still carried out crafts. It is also possible to see animals that were part of the domestic fauna: goats, donkeys or even camels and flora composed of tuneras, tabaibas or palm trees that coexist in the landscape of the island. Very interesting is also the part dedicated to everyday life, where you can know the way of collecting water, taste a freshly baked bread in the old way or see old eras where the harvest was worked and pajeros.In fact La Alcogida receives this name because it was a land for the collection of rainwater and that they were channeled to a cistern where this scarce good was stored in the area.

Located in the nerve center of Puerto del Rosario, is the Nuestra Señora del Rosario parish church. This place of worship is one of the emblems of the capital of Fuerteventura, located between Calle León Castillo, Virgen del Rosario and the pedestrian crossing Primero de Mayo, also adjoining the Cabildo de Fuerteventura and the Government Delegation. In Puerto del Rosario is a must-see, the church began to be built at the beginning of the 19th century, but it was not finished until 1932, after finishing the work it remained as it was Today is known. Temple history begins in 1812 when the vice-consul of Fuerteventura, James Miller as he was called, Diego Miller Seroton, requested a license to the bishopric for the creation of a chapel or a place to pray. They enabled a room that was attended by a clergyman to lead the mass, this was the provisional temple. A few years passed the Bishop undertook to build a new temple and finally it was in the 1920s when the church works began in what is now known as Plaza de Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Due to the successive plagues and famines that devastated the island the project was modified, in principle it was had intention to build two bell towers wavering a curved gable but finally it was rejected. Until many years after the creation of the Board for the Enlargement and Repair of the Temple in 1929 the works that ended in 1932 were not retaken. The temple has a rectangular plan , of a single ship and roof to two waters and the plebistry differentiated in height to 4 waters. The Interior is covered by a wooden structure, the altarpiece is a reproduction of what was previously.The central part is occupied by the image of Our Lady of the Rosary of the 19th century, there are other images like San José with the child and San Luis de Gonzaga. The church was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1990.

With the curious name of Casa de Felipito the Ugly is this public space converted into a recreational area that belongs to the Network of Centers and Museums of the Cabildo Insular. This recreational area is located in the Llano del Triguero, receives this name because it was a place dedicated to the sowing of cereals, between the intersection of Barranco de la Herradura and the Time, very close to the village of Guisguey. The Casa de Felipito is a very special place, currently it is converted into a picnic area where you can make barbecues with wood ovens that recreates the habitat of a majestic peasant village. It is an ideal place to enjoy a day with family or friends, in addition to the grills also has tables, benches and roofed areas, playground, Canarian ball court and areas with flora such as bougainvillea, aloe , pomegranates, fig trees, olive trees, etc. The recreation area is named after Felipe Ruíz González,, popularly known as Felipito el Feo, who was a Majorero character who lived at the beginning of twentieth century with their parents. The construction is a typical house in which you can see how modest were the homes of the peasants, with three rooms and a left-over one, which is a room in height and that is also restored. It turns out that Felipito was the owner of the land that he prepared for the cultivation, he built walls to prevent the wind from destroying the crops, he devised a system of channeling water to collect it when it rained and to be able to water the topsails that I had. Felipito has become a clear example of the struggle of the majoneros against the inclemencies of the weather to have an optimal area for cultivation despite being rocky terrain and strong winds. All this was achieved through work, with his own hands, enthusiasm and perseverance.

About 20 kilometers from the center of the capital Puerto del Rosario, in the southwest area, there is an interesting beach called Puertito de los Molinos. This quiet beach is next to a small population center that barely exceeds 20 inhabitants and that is called Los Molinos. It is possible to reach the Puertito de los Molinos by the road that comes from the town of Tefía, to the north coast, about ten kilometers and skirting a valley that is formed by a River. Once you reach the Puertito de los Molinos there is a restaurant with beautiful views of the sea that will delight visitors. The beach is not very big, approximately 200 meters long by 40 wide, with small banks of light brown sand but dominated by black sand of volcanic origin. Although in the winter, due to the swell, rounded edges are seen and it is when the sea is calm when the fine-coarse sand is discovered. The Puertito de Los Molinos is also known by the name Las Plcelas, which in turn has the official name of Colonia Rural García Escámez. This small settlement has fishing and marine origin, as well as agricultural and even had a small lime and plaster industry. Surf lovers have an almost perfect place to enjoy the waves, for bathing the beach is a little dangerous because of its strong tides. Historically El Puertito was a small village that the fishermen of El Cotillo used in their comings and goings to Morro Jable, which it was already mentioned in the cartographies of the 18th century, it was developed in the 19th century on the right side of the ravine and had a lot of activity with the carrying of lime stone at the beginning of the last century.Nowadays it is possible to visit the lime kilns that worked until relatively recently, you can enjoy spectacular sunsets and perhaps the most incredible can be admired in September when the super tides are produced that allow access to nearby caves on foot.

En la isla de Fuerteventura hay una gran cantidad de playas tranquilas sin mucha afluencia de personas perfectas para disfrutar de un rato de desconexión fantástico, una de ellas es la Playa del Jarugo. Esta playa apartada se encuentra a unos 2 kilómetros de la playa Tebeto y destaca por su arena blanca y su apariencia de playa virgen.El fantástico arenal dorado se extiende durante unos 200 metros, cuando baja la marea destaca su área natural, aunque no hay que confiarse lo más mínimo porque el oleaje es muy intenso y furioso por lo que muy importante tener muchísima precaución para evitar sustos mayores. Es una playa peligroso por lo que el baño es recomendable tomarlo en la orilla con mucho cuidado, aunque compensa su tranquilidad y la posibilidad de practicar nudismo.La playa está cercana a la desembocadura del barranco que da nombre a la playa y su visita es muy recomendable.

Puerto del Rosario es conocido también por el sobre nombre de la Ciudad de las Escultura. Recibe este nombre debido al parque escultórico que lo componen más de 100 esculturas y que se ubican en muchos lugares de públicos de la ciudad.La gran cantidad de esculturas que pueblan todos los puntos de Puerto del Rosario convierte a la urbe en todo un museo al aire libre. Desde principios del año 2000 muchos artistas han buscado un rincón de esta ciudad para exponer algunas de sus obras. Paseando por la capital de Fuerteventura se pueden encontrar todo tipo de esculturas, desde personajes como Unamuno, Suso Machín o Manuel Velázquez pasando por animales como cabras o tarabilla y llegando a formas simbólicas como siroco.Las esculturas repartidas por Puerto del Rosario son un homenaje a los usos y costumbres populares, a la cultura de la isla y en general a los habitantes de este lugar tan especial. Se puede empezar desde la escultura que se encuentra en La Explanada, que es el centro histórico desde el cual empezó a crecer la ciudad, fue aquí donde se ubicaba el muelle principal y el muelle chico. Esta recibe el nombre de La Fuente de la Explanada.A partir de aquí comienza el recorrido que llevará a todos los visitantes a encontrar en cada rincón de Puerto del Rosario obras artísticas maravillosas. Por ejemplo Caracolas, un conjunto de 4 esculturas firmada por Juan Bordes, entre el muelle comercial y La Explanda. Otras de las obras destacadas puedes ser Pescador de Viejas, elaborada en granito de la zona de Betancuria del artista Juan Miguel Cubas. Ofrenda al Mar pertenece al artista Demetrio Martín, en Barrio de Negrín, justo a la altura del paseo marítimo.Continuando podemos encontrar Homenaje a la Luna de Rinaldo Paluzzi, Esqueleto de Un Ejemplar de Ballena, Un rorcual Tropical que forma partedel proyecto La Senda de los Cetacáceos, que surge de la colaboración entre el Cabildo de Fuerteventura y la asociación Canarias Conservación. Equipaje de Ultramar de Eduardo Úrculo, o Las Cabras de Emiliano G. Hernandez. Así hasta unas 130 obras de arte repartidas por la calle.

El Palacio de Formación y Congresos de Fuerteventura ofrece más de 5.000 metros cuadrados a disposición de los profesionales de congresos, ferias y otros eventos.

El escritor y profesor de la Universidad de Salamanca don Miguel de Unamuno fue confinado en la Isla de Fuerteventura debido a sus enfrentamientos con la dictadura de Primo de Rivera por las críticas a la situación política en España. Unamuno vivió durante 4 meses en Fuerteventura y más que una castigo, su estancia en la isla resultó al escritor todo un regalo. Entabló amistad con muchos habitantes, especialmente con el intelectual Ramón Castañeyra con el que disfrutaba de tertulias en casa del escritor.Dicha casa se encuentra en Puerto del Rosario, frente a la iglesia de la población. El edificio fue en su día un hotel, en él si alojó el profesor Miguel de Unamuno tras la orden de destierro. Esta Casa-Museo tiene el objetivo de difundir la obra que el dramaturgo produjo en Fuerteventura. La vivienda es una construcción que tiene todos los detalles de la arquitectura doméstica canaria de principios del siglo XX. Dispone de zaguán de acceso a la vivienda, habitaciones que dan a un patio central con aljibe que recoge el agua de lluvia.Durante su estancia, el escritor, ahondó en Fuerteventura en su visión de una España Quijotesca; lo angosto de Malpaís, la fauna y la flora o el mar serán elementos universales integrados en su pensamiento. En muchos de sus escritos se refleja la huella que la isla supuso para su obra y como conectaba con su pensamiento metafísico y estético.Miguel de Unamuno denominaba el hotel que regentaba don Paco Medina, su posadero y en él tenían lugar numerosas tertulias con amigos majoneros, canarios y de península, Francisco López, funcionario, el pescador Antonio Hormiga, el párroco Victor San Martín o el ya mencionado Ramón Castañeyra fueron algunos de las amistades que formaban parte de las animadas charlas.El escritor vasco tuvo una intensa actividad, descubre autores canarios, escribe artículos, inicia los sonetos que aparecerá en su obra De Fuerteventura a Paris. Para un mayor conocimiento de la figura del escritor sólo hay que visitar la Casa-Museo.

Playa Chica, a la que también se conoce como playa de Los Pozos, es una playa urbana que se encuentra a poca distancia al sur de Puerto del Rosario, la capital de Fuerteventura. Es de poco oleaje y arena blanca.