Logroño is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province. The population is at 152,000 while the metropolitan area included nearly 197,000 inhabitants. The city is a centre of the trade in Rioja wine, for which the area is noted, and also produces wood, metal, and textile products. The Camino de Santiago passes through the city. Logroño is the shopping and financial capital of La Rioja. Its economy is heavily reliant on wine. The new airport Logroño-Agoncillo connects the city with Madrid and Barcelona. The city lies 152 kilometres (94 mi) from Bilbao, 172 kilometres (107 mi) from Zaragoza, 336 kilometres (209 mi) from Madrid and 468 kilometres (291 mi) from Barcelona.
Logroño was an old settlement, first of the Romans, under the name of Vareia, a commercial port, and then of the Celts. From the 10th century, possession of Logroño was disputed between the kings of Navarre and those of Castile; the region was finally annexed to Castile. Alfonso VI of Castile granted Logroño in 1095 a charter of rights that served as a model for other Spanish cities. In 1609 and 1610 Logroño was the main seat of the Basque witch trials, part of the Spanish Inquisition.
Logroño has one of the most distinguished culinary traditions in Spain. There are over 50 taperías (tapas restaurants) located within a 4 block area, near the town center. The traditional tapas restaurants often serve only one tapa [such as seta (mushroom), served as pincho – pintxo in Basque – meaning one serving, or media ración (“half portion”), a small plate of tapas], but offer different wines by the glass, usually all from the Rioja D.O..
Calle del Laurel, known as “the path of the elephants” and Calle San Juan are typical streets where various restaurants and tapas bars offer some of the best pinchos and tapas in northern Spain. Calle Portales is the main street in the old town, where people like to walk and sit in the terraces to eat a meal or drink wine. Calle Marqués de San Nicolás (otherwise known as Calle Mayor) is the main area where people spend weekend nights.
