In the steep cliffs above the village of San Pedro de Montes, a cave was reportedly used as a hermitage by Saint Genadio, a tenth-century Bishop of Astorga who renounced his see to live as an anchorite. The site can only be reached on foot, by a path through chestnut and oak forest above the village. The walk is not long but it is steep and there are no facilities.
A small chapel was later built against the rock face. Inside the cave, generations of pilgrims have carved their names and prayers into the walls, and a worn stone bench is said to be where Genadio prayed. The setting — sheer rock above a hidden valley — is the real reason to make the walk. A few kilometres further on, the Monastery of San Pedro de Montes (in ruins) offers another quiet pilgrim destination.