of ancienthistory,excellentgastronomyandverdant naturalbeauty. rest oftheIberianPeninsula. Arichandspirited land,itrewards travellers withauniquemix focus onfishingandshipbuilding,Galiciaattimesseemstohave littleincommon withthe from ’s andintheeastGaliciaisseparated dividesGaliciafromPortugal, estuaries). Inthesouth,RíoMiño Galicia appealstothosetravellers wholongtomarktheirownpaths. lanes andalongsidemedievalmonasteries. Perhaps more thananyotherSpanishregion, healthy doseofwanderlust,Galicia’sunspoiltinterior isatripbackintimethroughcountry excellentsea-and-sanddestinations.enticing fishingvillagesmake Andforthosewitha Pontevedra, andOurense are easytoreach. Along thecoast,dramaticshorelines and ofbypassingtherest themistake make ofGalicia. ACoruña,Vigo, Enchantingcitieslike is crownedwithSpain’smostimpressive cathedralanditsbeautyis unparalleled. Butdon’t of thousandspilgrimswhosetoutonthefamousCamino deSantiago. This magical city lush valleys,abruptseascapesanddenselyforested landjustbegging tobeexplored. pretty clearpicture ofGalicia. The epitomeof‘Green Spain’,Galiciaisblessedwithwiderivers, of Brittanyandthefriendly,late-night-loving attitudeofAndalucía. You’ve justconcocted a Imagine aplacethatblendsthevibrantgreen landscapesofIreland, thedramaticcoastline Galicia 562 © LonelyPlanetPublications „ Galicia isculturallyseparate aswell.With itsownlanguage,tiestoCeltic culture, anda Galicia’s wildcoastlineisfrayedupanddownitslengthbyaseriesofmajestic Galicia’s spiritual,culturalandofficialcapitalisSantiago deCompostela, thedestination

„ „ „ „ „ HIGHLIGHTS

AREA:29,574SQKM Seekoutremote beacheslike Getlostin thebeautifularcadedstreets StandatopsouthernEurope’s highest Picnic under the Gothic-stylearchesof Drive alongthewindingroadsabove the of Capelada coastat wild northwestern cliffs atSerradaCapelada onGalicia’s in theRíasAltas the beautiful inidyllic Río Miño Morte Trece Santiago deCompostela ( p582 ) ontheruggedCostada meseta (p578) Praia As Catedrais (centraltableland)bythewestern endoftheCordilleraCantábrica. ARibeiraSacra Serra da (p564) „ Area de AVE SUMMER TEMP: HIGH 24ºC, LOW 12ºC (p580) (p598) Area de Trece Compostela Santiago de Capelada „ Serra da POP: 2.77MILLION A Ribeira Sacra rías Catedrais Praia As (inlets or (inletsor lonelyplanet.com GALICIA •• History 563

040 km GALICIA 0 20 miles Cabo Ortegal Punta da Estaca de Bares s Porto de Bares t a Garita de Herbeira Cariño O Barqueiro l Bay of Biscay A San Andrés Teixido Praia de Covas To Oviedo s (114km); a Celeiro Cangas í Praia de Pantín Gijón Porto de Praia As R Praia Frouxeira N642 Tapia de (107km) AC862 Espasante Catedrais Casariego ATLANTIC Valdoviño Serra da Coaña Capelada OCEAN San Cosme Navia

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Vegadeo N Redes Mondoñedo t e Ares ío o r R M A Coruña Parque Natural a Malpica de A Pontenova d Fragas do Eume N634 a Bergantiños Carreira t Encoro N640 s AG55 de Eume Goiriz o Caión Betanzos C Corme Buño Area de Laxe Carral Carballo Trece Camelle o Embalse A6 iñ de Salime Camariñas Baio AP9 Río M Fonsagrada Muxia Ponte Vimianzo N550 Castro de A CORUÑA Viladonga do Porto Zas Sobrado dos Santa e Monxes San Antolín Comba br Lugo de Ibias Río am Santa Eulalia T de Bóveda Cée LUGO Corcubión Arzúa N540 Serra dos N547 Palas Ancares Santiago de de Rei Fisterra Monte Pindo Compostela Melide Becerreá Cabo (627m) Fisterra Portomarín Carnota Encoro de Noia AP53 Portodemouros Mosteiro Pedrafita do Muros Antas de Samos Cebreiro Padrón de Ulla Río Ulla Serra do LEÓN Porto Samos Courel do Son Catoira La Estrada Silleda Lalín Seoane Boiro PONTEVEDRA do Courel A Pobra Rianxo Villafranca Caldas de Reis Folgoso del Bierzo Corrubedo Villagarcía Monforte do Courel Ribeira de Arousa Cerdedo de Lemos N120 Illa de Arousa Cambados Quiroga O Grove N525 Illa A Toxa Os Peares Cañon do Sil N120 San Vicente do Mar Combarro Praia A Lanzada Parada Pontevedra Carballiño Maside Castro Sanxenxo do Sil Sil Illa de Ons Marín Mosteiro o Caldelas A Rúa Praia Mourisca N541 Rí Parque Praia de Lapamán San Estevo Nacional Cabo de Udra Bueu Ourense A Ribeira A Pobra de las Islas Cabo de Home Moaña Sacra de Trives Encoro Atlánticas Hio Redondela Ribadavia de Prada de Galicia o Cangas ñ Illas i OURENSE Embalse Cíes Vigo M A52 de Bao Viana Nigrán Celanova do Bolo ío Ribadelago Baiona R R í a s Salvaterra Embalse A52 A Gudiña B a i x s de Miño de las ZAMORA Gondomar Portas Tui Mosteiro de Oia Bande Oia Valença Goián P O R T U G A L Verin Vila Nova de Cerveira a Monterrei A Guarda m To Chaves P O R T U G A L A3 Li Monte de Santa Trega To Braga (35km) Río (12km) GALICIA

History Apóstol (St James the Apostle) in 813, at Galicia’s history stretches back to the Iron Age, what would become Santiago de Compostela. when many castros (protected settlements of The site grew into a rallying symbol for the circular stone huts) were built. Most Galicians Christian Reconquista of Spain, and pil- say these ancestors were Celts, though sceptics grims from all over Europe began trekking claim Galicia’s Celtic origins are exaggerations to Santiago, which rivalled Rome and even of romantic nationalists. Jerusalem as a pilgrimage site. For more, see The Romans united ‘Gallaecia’ in the first the Camino de Santiago chapter (p118 ). century BC, founding cities like Lucas Augusti By the time the Reconquista was completed (Lugo). The region was ruled by the Germanic in 1492, Galicia had become an impoverished Suevi for most of the 5th and 6th centuries backwater in which Spain’s centralist-minded AD, before the Visigoths asserted themselves. Catholic Monarchs (Reyes Católicos), Isabel Little touched by the 8th-century Muslim in- and Fernando, had already begun to supplant vasion, Galicia was under the control of the the local tongue and traditions with Castilian Christian kingdom of Asturias by 866. methods and language. The Rexurdimento, an The big event in the area’s medieval history awakening of Galician national consciousness, was the ‘rediscovery’ of the grave of Santiago did not surface until late in the 19th century,