Huge/monumental boroughs with remarkable buildings and churches, forges and salt mines that evoke past times: natural areas with tall/high summits, rural townships dotted with farmhouses that, sometimes, coexist with industrial areas. These are just some of the attractions to be found in the three regions that enjoy their own personality: Tolosaldea and the high territories of the Urola and Deba basins are part of the green Gipuzkoa, which it is also monumental/huge, rural and industrial.

Following the course of the river Oria and under the unmistakable silhouette of the Txindoki mountain (1,346 m.) we will find settled Tolosaldea, a county that better has kept alive its Basque cultural and folk traditions, along with Goierri. The core of the region was for some time capital of Gipuzkoa. But nowadays it is popular for its incessant cultural activity ýwith international Masses and puppets- due to its tradition of bonnet making and for keeping its especially popular carnivals alive. We cannot forget either Tolosa's pastrymaking specialities or its markets and fairs with locally grown products.

We cannot forget its confectionery specialities, markets and fairs with season products that are held both in the town as well as in the whole area. This region also characterises by its wide gastronomic offer: Tolosa beans, Ibarra chillies, and cider, beef chops, etc. In the inland it is worth visiting small rural villages, such as Amezketa and Abaltzisketa, which are surrounded by an idyllic setting.

Urola and Deba Valleys

Rural and urban elements coexist on the upper Urola since many centuries. In the so-called Valle del Hierro (Iron Valley), which is made up of Zumarraga, Urretxu, Legazpi and Ezkio-Itsaso, there were numerous forges, reservoirs; millsý built on the banks of the river Urola. Nowadays the iron culture can be seen reflected on the Mirandaola forge, in Legazpi, recalling the region's past as a land of blacksmiths. Pastoral and agricultural activities were also important, as they can be noticed in the Ecomuseo del Pastoreo (Pastoral Ecomuseum) ýalso located in Legazpi- and in Ezkio-Itsaso's Igartubeiti farmhouse.

First and foremost, the inland is monumental. We will find ourselves in the lands of Ignatius of Loyola and the well-known route of the three temples that enable visitors getting to know Zumarraga's hermitage of La Antigua, the basilica of Loiola in Azpeitia and finally, the Sanctuary of Arantzazu, in Oñati, at the foothill of the Aizkorri Natural Park. Precisely, the latter is one of the main attractions of Alto Deba, as it houses several architectural samples such as the gothic-style Church of San Miguel and the wonderful Renaissance-style University of Sancti Spiritus.

Bergara is yet another interesting borough with attractive buildings. Its old part has many ancestral houses and churches, as well as the building that once housed the Royal Seminary, a place of reference for 18th century scientific world. To the far south of Gipuzkoa is Leintz-Gatzaga, a village related to salt production. Several gateways leading to the village still can be seen as the royal road of Castile ran through here. It is worth visiting the streets of the old part, as well as attending the Museo de la Sal, located in the former facilities where over centuries "white gold" was produced.