Asturias
“Ser Espanol es un orgulo; ser asturiano es un titulo.”
“To be Spanish is a matter of pride; to be called Asturian is a title.”
Leave behind you the steel mills of Aviles and the factories of Gijon. Saunter along the majestic N634 to discover the gems of Asturias, the province that is the crown of all Iberia.
Asturias is a region untouched by mass tourism; it’s a closely guarded secret of the most discerning traveler. This is probably due to its reputation for unreliable weather although it is warm enough in summer to swim in the sea. The warm, moist climate gives this area of northern Spain the title of ‘Costa Verde’ or ‘the Green Coast’.
The province boasts old and elegant seaside towns such as Llanes and Luarca. The dramatic landscape then becomes even more wild and rugged towards its neighbour, Galicia and is punctuated by sandy isolated coves. The wildness of Asturias is emphasized by the carpets of rolling green meadows that are the foothills beneath the Picos de Europa Mountains whose deep gorges offer flora and fauna enough to satisfy nature lovers and trekkers of all levels.
It is in Asturias that King Pelayo warded off the Muslims in 722 at Cavadonga and laid the foundations of the return of Christian Spain. As a result the Asturians have always thought of themselves as a people above their fellow countrymen. The Reconquista was to leave this region something of a backwater. It was then Juan 1 of Castilla y Leon who declared it a principality in 1388. The heir to the throne is known as the Pricipe de Asturias. Annual awards that equate with the Nobel Prizes are awarded annually in his name to persons of distinction.
Asturians boast many idiosyncratic traditions such as the bagpipes that resound through the valleys on special occasions and the countless saints’ days. Sidra houses are popular places to meet neighbours and friends. The sidra is poured from an arm stretched way above the head into a glass held downwards as far as the other arm can stretch. The flow of the sidra downwards adds to the fizz and the potency. Art and architecture lovers will find Asturias a melting pot of the Romanesque with modest and unique sources of medieval buildings and décor. Gastronomic taste buds will find a variety of treats amongst the traditional, simple peasant fare. The most famous dish is that of the ‘Fabada’ – a hearty bean dish with meat and sausage. Another local dish is ‘Repollo Relleno de Carne’ or cabbage stuffed with meat. Mountain streams teem with salmon that will delight and satisfy the most fastidious fish lover.
So come eat, drink and be merry knowing that you have indeed found that, in the words of another hit song (this time by Belinda Carlyle), “Heaven is a place on earth”.
