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Wise Pilgrim APPEl Portazgo is more of an outpost than a village. The neoclassic building on your left once you cross the Río Nalón was originally the toll station — the portazgo — where travelers paid for the privilege of crossing the bridge. It's an elegant little building with a story, and a reminder that these routes have been commercial corridors for centuries.
Do not stay on the road here. Look to the left for a pair of mojones directing you up a steep path. It's about 600 m uphill until you emerge on a road with a few houses. Turn left and continue on the road past a multipurpose sports field. Not far beyond the sports field, the camino leaves the road along a narrow path gently to your right. The climb is short but steep — the last real effort before Oviedo.
Toll stations like this one were common at river crossings throughout medieval and early modern Spain. The portazgo was a tax levied on goods and travelers crossing bridges and passing through controlled points. This particular toll controlled passage over the Río Nalón, one of the major rivers of Asturias. The neoclassical building dates from the 18th or 19th century, replacing what was likely an older toll structure.
