A large part of the territory of the Vió Valley belongs to the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, undoubtedly one of the hidden jewels of Aragón. The rivers Aso, Yesa and Bellós bathe this region, which gives it landscapes and beauty out of the ordinary. Fanlo, Buerba, Bió, Nerín Yeba, Buisán, Gallisué, Ceresuela and Sercu, small villages located at an altitude of over 1,000 meters above sea level, are the ones that make up this valley, villages that must be visited if one decides to visit and enjoy it. Here, in the valley of Vio (Bal de Bió or Ballibió in Aragonese) nature is the protagonist.
What the Vió Valley has to offer
There are no great monuments to visit in the valley, although in Fanlo, the largest village in the valley, you can visit the Casa Ruba, a 16th century manor house. In Bió is the church of San Vicente, a 13th century temple with a series of interesting Romanesque paintings. In 1976 they were taken to the Diocesan Museum of Barbastro for conservation, but the church continues to keep its memory.
The important thing in these small villages is to allow yourself the pleasure of strolling through their streets and, when possible, talking to their inhabitants. In this way, you will get to know their way of life, their culture and the history of the Bió Valley, as important as that of the great geographical capitals.
Fanlo
In Fanlo you will surely appreciate the stone houses that belonged to the great families of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. But, above all, you will love the place that frames it, with the massifs in the background and the thousand colors that surround the buildings. Or perhaps only one color, during the winter months: the snow. During these winter months, it is also possible to enjoy the Fanlo-Valle Vío ski resort, at an altitude of 2,000 meters and in the heart of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park.
In these places you can discover the chimneys known as witch-hunting chimneys, typical of Alto Aragon, which awaken the most imaginative side of the traveler. They can be appreciated especially in Buerba, where there is a sculpture dedicated to the women of the valley who for a long time carried water for their families.
Church of San Vicente
In recent years a considerable effort has been made to recover the paths that historically linked the villages of the valley. Added to this network of trails is the one owned by the National Park. Between the two, the hiking possibilities in the Bió Valley are endless.
The Añisclo Canyon
If you are a hiker you must know this canyon, or surely you have heard of it. This deep gorge was generated by glacial erosion and later by the fluvial erosion of the Bellós river. This canyon, part of the National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido, has attractive waterfalls, a lush forest and a spectacular natural environment.
Nerín
It is a medieval village, small in size, beautiful without pretending it, with the Church of San Andrés as the best example of this past time. Not far away is the old Chapel of Santa Maria, in Romanesque style. It still preserves its covered apse, as well as a large pointed arch that helps us to get an idea of what the construction was like at its moment of maximum splendor.
Buerba
Most of the houses we see today date back to the 16th century: Casa Laplaza, Casa Tomás, Casa Maruja, the Church of San Miguel… show us the importance that Buerba had in Aragon’s past.
In this square the town paid tribute to the women, who for many years carried water from the fountain in the square to their homes.
Why hadn’t we heard of this valley before?
Growing up in the shadow of such a large and renowned tree as the Ordesa Valley is not easy. This has been, in our opinion, the reason why the valley of Vío, so hidden, so silent, has remained in the shadows. Although this is not a disadvantage, as it has allowed it to remain outside mass tourism, maintaining its character and charm.
