The Basque country

Putting Northern Spain on the Map

The area described in this guide comprises the autonomous regions of Northern Spain – Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarra and La Rioja – as well as the Central and Eastern Pyrenees, which lie in Aragón and Сatalonia respectively. Northern Spain’s varied coastline borders the Atlantic Ocean. The country’s most northerly point, the headland of Estaca de Bares, is in Galicia.

DISCOVERING NORTHERN SPAIN

Green Spain, as it’s often known, offers images very different from those of Mediterranean Spain: lush forests and deep-green valleys, soaring high mountain scenery, and Spain’s most dramatic coastline, with fiords and giant cliffs – as well as exquisite beaches – facing the Atlantic surf. The north has some of Spain’s most special cultures, in Celtic Galicia and the unique ways of the Basques, and remarkable architecture, from early Christian chapels to Bilbao’s modern Museo Guggenheim. And it has superb food, whether harbourside seafood or refined Basque cuisine, and many of Spain’s finest wines. Here is guide to the region’s highlights.

GALICIA

• Santiago de Compostela

• Rugged coastlines

• Miño & Ribeira wine valleys

The greenest and wettest region of all, Galicia, just north of Portugal, has always lived a little apart from the rest of Spain. At its heart is fascinating Santiago de Compostela. A focus for pilgrims since the early Middle Ages, the city is centred on a magnificent Gothic cathedral. To the west the coast is broken up by the Rías Baixas, beautiful fiord-like inlets lined by fine beaches and picturesque fishing villages. Just to the north is the Costa da Morte (“Coast of Death”), an awesome stretch of wild, rocky coast so-named because of the many ships wrecked here over centuries. Inland, Galicia has a soft green landscape of hills, woods, remote-feeling, utterly tranquil villages and charming towns lost in the past. Loveliest of all are the exquisite valleys of the Miño and Ribeiro region, winding, sometimes extraordinarily steep clefts that produce excellent wines to go with Galicia’s celebrated fish and seafood.

ASTURIAS AND CANTABRIA

• Spectacular Picos de Europa

• Beautiful Costa Verde

• Oviedo’s ancient churches

• Cuevas de Altamira

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Straddling the border between these two regions, the Picos de Europa form one of Spain’s most spectacular mountain ranges, a knot of towering summits between plunging gorges and valleys sheltering idyllic mountain villages. A paradise for walkers and climbers, coloured by dazzling sprays of gentians and narcissi, the Cantabrian mountains are also home to some of Europe’s rarest wildlife, such as chamois and brown bears.

The two regions offer the north coast’s best beaches along the Costa Verde, in fine arching bays between red-roofed villages and massive cliffs topped by verdant meadows. Their long human history has left many treasures too, such as the pre-Romanesque churches of Oviedo or extraordinary Santillana del Mar – almost a whole town of 16th-century mansions. Just nearby are the Cuevas de Altamira, with some of the greatest prehistoric cave paintings in the world.

THE BASQUE COUNTRY

• Museo Guggenheim

• San Sebastián’s beaches and its old town

• Picturesque harbours

• Bergara & the countryside

The Basque people’s many idiosyncrasies – in language, architecture, music, social life, food and more-give this region a special flavour. The stunning ultra-modern Museo Guggenheim has helped rejuvenate Bilbao and drawn a new wave of visitors to appreciate the city and its vibrant street life.

Stately San Sebastián is very different. Gastronomic capital of northern Spain and an elegant resort of he 19th century, it has a superb beach on a perfectly curved bay, and a charming old town full of lively bars, ideal for sampling pintxos– the Basques’ celebrated style of tapas. Between the two cities, the Basque Coast has rugged green crags and lofty headlands with fabulous views, sheltering never-crowded beaches and colourful fishing towns that sometimes climb straight up the flanks of the cliffs.

For lovers of rural quiet, the Basque countryside is fascinateing to explore, with historic towns such as Bergara and forest valleys dotted with stone farmhouses.

Дата добавления: 2015-08-13