Idiazabal

Idiazabal is a municipality in the heart of Gipuzkoa, set at the foot of the Aizkorri range in the Goierri region. Its name is widely recognised thanks to the Designation of Origin cheese it lends its name to — a smoked or cured cheese made from latxa sheep's milk that reflects a pastoral tradition deeply rooted in the village's history. Flocks of sheep and their shepherds can still be seen across the surrounding countryside.

The village holds a rich and varied heritage. The parish church of San Miguel features a Romanesque-to-Gothic transitional doorway regarded as one of the best-preserved examples in the Basque Country. The Txomenane botanical park brings together 36 tree species from several continents, planted by the Altolaguirre family from the 1920s onward. The landscape of historic manor houses and palaces — including those built by returned emigrants known as indianos — is complemented by a set of megalithic monuments from the Neolithic and Bronze Age, including burial mounds and dolmens scattered across the surrounding hills.

The village's Cheese Interpretation and Tasting Centre offers visitors an insight into the cheese-making process, the chance to take part in a tasting, and a tour of a working dairy.