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Let our experts help you re-live history

The passion and dedication that our expert lecturers have for their fields of specialty allows them to paint an authentic, informed picture of the past. The settings and historical periods are magnificent in and of their own accord, but the context that our guides overlay bring key historical figures to life and recount the fascinating societal dynamics of the time.

Their factual storytelling will leave you with a deep understanding of how the different eras have shaped the great nations of Europe to be what they are today. And it’s not just their oratory skills that you’ll benefit from – many of our lecturers’ expertise, institutional connections and academic standing often affords them (and you) access to select sites and materials that are restricted. Our lecturers’ professional connections to many of the exclusive sites you’ll visit are just one of the many ways that a Viabo tour sets itself apart.

How in-depth you’d like the lectures on your tour to be remains entirely at your discretion. Our experts are as adept at tailoring their talks to keep them light, entertaining and accessible as they are at delving into the finer details and taking you down a veritable rabbit hole of cultural discoveries.

And now, without further ado, it’s time you meet the experts. Here are a few biographies to get you acquainted:

Viabo Lecturer Jaime Nuño

JAIME NUÑO GONZÁLEZ

Director of the Centre for Romanesque Studies of the Santa María la Real Foundation.

Jaime Nuño Gonzáles holds a bachelor’s degree in Archeology and Medieval History from the University of Valladolid, Spain. He has been affiliated to the Santa María la Real Foundation since 1985 and is currently the director of the Foundation’s Centre for Romanesque Studies.

He also coordinates the Romanesque Encyclopedia in the Iberian Peninsula, Europa Nostra 2003 award.
Jaime is the author of more than fifty publications related to the art, history and culture of the Middle Ages, as well as the management of cultural heritage and historical dissemination.

He has also participated in and directed more than fifty archaeological research and documentation works.

Viabo Lecturer Víctor Álvarez

VÍCTOR ÁLVAREZ

Director of the Tourism and Culture Area of the Santa María la Real Foundation.

Victor Alvarez holds a History degree from the University of Salamanca, Spain, and also has training and experience in the areas of Wealth Management, Communication and Marketing.

His professional career has been linked to the Santa María la Real Foundation since 2005. Since first joining the Foundation, he has worked in numerous different departments and on a diverse range of projects and activities, even taking on the role of a communications and project technician in different intervention plans, such as the Románico Norte (winner of the Europa Nostra award).

Victor has moved from being the Foundation’s marketing manager to director of the Tourism and Culture area since 2018. In addition to managing CulturViajes, the ROM Exhibition Center, and Architectural Ornaments, he also oversees the entity’s publications and courses.

Viabo Lecturer Cristina Párbole

CRISTINA PÁRBOLE MARTÍN

 Cultural mediator of the Exhibition Centre ROM / Monastery of Santa María la Real

Cristina Párbole Martin holds a History degree from the University of Valladolid, Spain, as well as a master’s degree in Medieval History from Castilla y León.
She has been a voluntary guide at the hermitage of Santa Cecilia de Vallespinoso de Aguilar (Palencia) since she was 18 years old. Upon leaving, she joined the ROM Exhibition Center, where she guides visitors in their discovery of the enormous heritage that the area north of Palencia houses.
She combines her work at the Santa María la Real Foundation with the investigation of Palencia Romanesque. She has participated in numerous congresses and published several articles on her studies, which are focused on highlighting the importance of Romanesque as a source for understanding the medieval mind. Since 2012 she has been directing the La Huella Románica, where she works for the dissemination of Palencia Romanesque and teaches different teacher training courses in Castilla y León. On top of this, Cristina is also the promoter of the #PorUnRománicoAbierto initiative, a campaign aimed at encouraging the opening of these temples.

Viabo Lecturer Pedro Huerta

PEDRO LUIS HUERTA HUERTA

Coordinator of Courses and Publications of the Santa María la Real Foundation.

Pedro Luis Huerta Huerta holds a degree in Geography and History, with a specialisation in Art History, from the University of Valladolid, Spain. He has been working at the Santa María la Real Foundation since 1991, where he has been an integral part of the team writing the Romanesque Encyclopedia of Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha, signing more than 300 entries. On top of this, he has also been the technical coordinator of volumes corresponding to the surrounding areas such as Asturias, Navarra, the Basque Country, Aragon and Galicia.

Pedro is the author of forty research articles on medieval art, published in specialized magazines, conference proceedings, exhibition catalogs and popular works. At TVE he has collaborated as an advisor and documentary filmmaker for the series ‘Las Claves del Románico’ and ‘The Light and the Mystery of the Cathedrals’.
He is currently the Coordinator of Courses and Publications on Romanesque art and medieval culture at the Santa María la Real Foundation.

Viabo Lecturer Maximiliano Barrios

MAXIMILIANO BARRIOS FELIPE

Technical Coordinator of the Románico Digital www.romanicodigital.com

Maximiliano Barrios Felipe holds a degree in Geography and History, with specializations in Modern History and Contemporary History, from the University of Valladolid, Spain. He is also trained in e-commerce, community management and digitization of cultural heritage.

Maximiliano has worked at the Piedad Isla & Juan Torres Foundation for ten years, conducting didactic workshops and conferences and commissioning exhibitions, among many other activities. In addition to this, he has also been the creator of the Documentation Centre for the Image of the Montaña Palentina (CEDIMPA).

In 2010 he joined the Santa María la Real Foundation as a monitor of the Interregional Employment Workshop “Conservation and Archive of Photographic Heritage” in Aguilar de Campoo, Cervera de Pisuerga and Santander. Since 2011 he has been coordinator of the Rom-anesque Digital portal, tackling the weighty responsibility of digitizing and cataloging the Romanesque Encyclopedia.

Viabo Lecturer Cesar Del Valle

CÉSAR DEL VALLE BARREDA

Coordinator of the ROM Exhibition Centre of the Santa María la Real Monastery.

César Del Valle Barreda holds an Art History degree from the University of Valladolid, Spain and a master’s degree in the Evaluation and Management of Artistic Historical Heritage from the University of Salamanca, Spain.

His relationship with the Santa María la Real Foundation began in 2005, when he started working as a technician at the Center for Romanesque Studies. At that stage he wrote the Romanesque guides for Palencia, Burgos and the old Merindad de Aguilar de Campoo, and he collaborated in the elaboration of the Romanesque Encyclopedia, among numerous other functions.

After a fleeting period working on the Romanesque North project, César assumed the role of coordinating the ROM Exhibition Centre in 2010 and, since 2016, he has also been in charge of the Architectural Ornaments Workshop.

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