The Roman town that stood where Logroño is today (if it’s a town and
it’s in southern or western Europe, it’s safe to assume the Romans founded it) was
destroyed by the Visigoths in the sixth century; the city’s current incarnation began
around that time. The name Logroño most likely comes from the Latin illo (“that”) and the
Germanic gronio (“river’s ford”); in a similar multicultural mishmash, the Romance culture
in Logroño has grown and flourished out of the ruins left by the Goths. The city owes much
of its local prominence to its location along the pilgrimage route known as the Camino de
Santiago, which has made Logroño a hub of travel and commerce since the Middle Ages. This
town was also strategically important in the Middle Ages, as it was located near the
border between Castile, Navarre, and Aragón. Today, Logroño is the capital of the
Comunidad Autónoma de La Rioja and is home to over 150,000 citizens. The region is famous
for its |wines, which make up a large portion of the region’s economy and draw oenophiles
from around the world. Since Logroño tends to be a bit off the typical tourist’s path,
there is more of a focus on commerce than on tourism, and it is clear that this is a
modern, growing city that is open to tourism but not driven by it.