Joaquín Sevilla, Navarrese science communicator, chooses Santoña as his summer refuge

The head of the outreach chair at the Public University of Navarre, Joaquín Sevilla, has been spending summers in Santoña (Cantabria) since the 90s, a town of 11,000 inhabitants linked to the sea and fishing.

Joaquín Sevilla Moróder, director of the chair of culture and scientific knowledge outreach at the Public University of Navarre, has his personal refuge in Santoña, a Cantabrian locality of about 11,000 inhabitants. There, between the tide and the light, he finds an ideal getaway since the 90s, when he started having a family home.

“A landscape that never changes but is never the same, between the tide and the light you never get tired of seeing the sea,” explains Sevilla. The proximity to Pamplona, where he works, and the tranquil atmosphere of Santoña, limited in growth by being surrounded by sea and marshland, make it a recurring destination not only in summer.

A town with a taste of the sea and anchovies

Life in Santoña revolves around fishing. Its industry is based on the marketing of bonito and anchovies in olive oil. “The gastronomic offer is magnificent, especially for fresh fish,” assures the communicator. He recommends going to see the boats unloading at the port or the transactions at the fish market, and “you can almost trace the fish from there to the restaurant.”

The urban area is situated on a plain, while the mountainous area houses the slopes of Brusco and Buciero. Local history is linked to the Monastery of Santa María del Puerto, which gave rise to the Romanesque church of the same name. Its military fortifications also stand out.

Nature and dreamlike routes

Among the tourist attractions, Sevilla highlights the Route of the Horse Lighthouse, a cliff path with over 700 steps carved into the rock that descend to the sea. He also mentions Berria Beach and the Santoña, Victoria and Joyel Marshes, a Natural Park of over 4,000 hectares that hosts more than 20,000 birds of 130 species.

For the professor, Santoña has been “a wonderful escape valve” when his children were small, and now that they are independent, it remains a refuge to change the air and recharge. “The limitation of growth imposed on the population by being surrounded by sea and marshland means that tourism is not excessive, maintaining a lively but contained bustle,” he concludes.