First note that A Curota is not really located in Vilagarcía de Arousa. It is a mountainous area for hiking and driving, however you wish to explore it. It is a vast expanse that overlooks the Ría (Estuary) de Arousa. Located about 5 minutes from Riveira and a few from Pobra de Caramiñal, A Curota has spectacular views. There are wild horses (and a few that are owned) wandering the hillsides, along with some cows that look to be the yellow Galician stock that gives rich milk but in smaller quantities.

Arousa is the largest estuary and has a number of islands, most associated with something literary and historical. The mountains suffered forest fires of major import in summer 2006, but their beauty cannot be denied even today and hopefully the vegetation is recovering - although without the growth of eucalyptus trees, which are so damaging to the environment.

Many locals and non-locals come to picnic or walk through this elevated area, which is spotted with ancient chapels (one has the tradition of throwing broken clay tiles at a window that is walled up; if your tile stays on the ledge instead of falling to the ground, you will marry within the year - I will marry 5 times this coming year, which means it doesn’t take a lot of skill to land those tiles properly.

One really awful site is what was done to the rock called A Pedra da ra (Frog Rock, in Galician). It is a huge boulder with a smaller one beside it, plus an intriguing, pointed rock looking out over the water. There are soft indentations in the base of the big rock and in the one pointing outward. The horrible part is that somebody thought it was necessary to climb higher than the rock itself and cemented the homeliest set of stairs in existence to the natural formation. It is so sad and one hopes the next politician in office might feel inclined to get rid of this monstrosity. The rock is high enough and the view incredible - no need to go up the side of it to stand about 2 meters taller. Can you imagine doing this to the Condor rock at Machu Picchu or one of the Stonehenge slabs?

There is so much to see that even an entire day will not be enough. Read up on the various parts ahead of time. Wear comfortable shoes. Wander into corners with streams and frog choruses. Be kind to the environment - it deserves it. Look for different types of rock and the vast amount of plant life in this area. Imagine what the Celts and Romans felt when they stood in the same places. Light no matches. And if you have any leverage with local authorities, plead with them to get rid of those awful cement stairs!

If you go once to A Curota, you will return.