Trip to Asturias

TRIP TO ASTURIAS APRIL 2016 Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 1 INDEX Playa de las Catedrales Gijón Places of interest Oviedo Architectural monuments Cudillero Places of interest Castropol Places of interest Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 2 Playa de las Catedrales This beach is located in the northern coast of the province of Lugo (Galicia). It is named after the group of cliffs (some over 32 metres high) that are sculpted by the wind and the sea creating arches and vaults. The result is a wonderful landscape considered one of the most spectacular beaches of the world. At low tide, through a flight of steps, it is possible to go down on the sand and walk along the beach to see the cracks, hollows and rock galleries that have been created by the wave erosion. We can see how these special shapes and colours, that are characteristic of the Cantabrian seashore in Galicia, change according to the sun’s position or the time of the day. Features: - Playa de las Catedrales has been awarded the Blue Flag - Length - 1,400 metres - Sand type - fine-grained sand ← Back to index Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 3 Gijón Gijón, a Spanish city that owns the historic category of villa, is located in the northern coast of the Principality of Asturias, an autonomous region of which Gijón is also the most populated municipality. The service sector is the most important for the economy of the city, followed by the secondary sector (iron and steel industries). The weight of the primary sector in the economy of the area is almost irrelevant. Places of interest ● Universidad Laboral: is the biggest university complex erected in Spain with 2 270,000 m , built in the 20th century. ● San Lorenzo Beach: there we can find San Pedro Church and the Escalerona. ● Santa Catalina: at the top of this hill, by the sea, visitors can admire the “Elogio del Horizonte” (“Praise of the Horizon”), one of Eduardo Chillida’s works. This sculpture hides some surprises than can not be seen at first sight --just walk underneath to discover them. ● Plaza Mayor: we can enjoy the Asturian traditional cider bars here. ● Jardines de la Reina (Queen's gardens): a small oasis near the yachting port, where the word “Gijón” is located. These letters are the common postcard of the city. ← Back to index Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 4 Oviedo The kingdom of Asturias started in 720, with the Pelayo’s revolt against the Muslims, who had conquered almost the whole Peninsula. The city was founded on a hill called Ovetao or Oveto, where the monks called Máximo and Fromestano used to live. The occupation was completed with the construction of a church consecrated to Saint Vincent. Oviedo owes the King Alfonso II the Chaste its designation as capital and seat of government, as a result of moving the court from Pravia and the creation of the pilgrim way to Santiago de Compostela, a major event in the history of Oviedo. Architectural monuments Cathedral of San Salvador It was erected in 1388 on the site of the old cathedral, which had been founded in the 8th century. The original church was founded by the King Fruela I the Cruel and modified by Alfonso II. The South tower was built in 1556. The North tower was never completed. In the upper side of the square there is a statue dedicated to Ana Ozores, the protagonist of the novel La Regenta, by Leopoldo Alas Clarín. (€5 admission fee). Cámara Santa de Oviedo / Holy chamber of Oviedo Dating from 802, it is located inside the Cathedral and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This chamber houses the Arca Santa, a chest containing the Holy Shroud. It also houses many Christian treasures, such as Alfonso III Victory Cross, supposedly used in the Asturian victory at the battle of Covadonga in 718. (Included in the admission fee to the Cathedral). Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 5 San Francisco’s Park San Francisco’s park is one of the city’s ‘green lungs’, a haven of peace to walk and rest. Located right next to Escandalera Square and Uría Street (the main shopping street in Oviedo). It is the perfect place to enjoy the sun in spring. Trascorrales Square It is the most frequently visited square in Oviedo. If you want to mingle with the city residents and have a true Asturian experience, you should go to Trascorrales. If you wish, you can also take a picture with the milkwoman and her donkey, a work by Manuel García Linares. Basilica of San Julián de los Prados This church was originally erected by Alfonso II and it is one of the best preserved in Asturias. It is decorated with frescoes. (€2 admission fee) La Foncalada A 9th-century fountain: the only pre-romanic civil work in the whole Europe. City Hall (Casa Consistorial) It was built in 1662 by the architect Juan de Naveda, who used a part of the old city wall and a gate. The square ahead is one of the most bustling in the city, since it is in the way between El Fontán and the cathedral. For some years now, the city hall lights up in blue (the city’s official colour) at sunset, so do not miss the opportunity to walk along the square at that time. Mercado de El Fontán El Fontán Market was built in the 17th-18th centuries. It is a monumental complex with a simple but charming structure, including a square with several arcades that used Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 6 to house the vegetable market in the past. Now, it is one of the best places to enjoy a good cider in Oviedo . Conference Centre (Palacio de Congresos) A work of Santiago Calatrava that opened in 2008. It is one of the most peculiar buildings in Oviedo, erected in the famous ‘Parcela de Buenavista’, the land where the football stadium ‘Carlos Tartiere’ used to be until 2003. Santa María del Naranco This palace was raised by Ramiro I during his 8-year-old reign (842 - 850), together with the churches of Saint Michael of Lillo and possibly Saint Christina of Lena. It is, in our opinion, the best preserved, most important monument of the Early Middle Ages in Europe, not only because of its intrinsic value, but also for being a compendium of the best building techniques of the earlier periods, and specially because it opened up ways towards the whole future artwork. (Admission fee included in the trip fee) ← Back to index Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 7 Cudillero Located in the north of Asturias, this town is also the capital of the municipality with the same name, Cudillero. When talking about this town, we are referring to one of the most relevant in the fishing industry of Asturias. In the Modern Age, this town started to be considered as the Asturian fishing centre and new buildings began to be erected thanks to this prosperity, such as San Pedro’s Church or San Juan’s Castle, which was built with the main purpose to protect Cudillero from the frequent English raids. In the South we find another important place, the Quinta de Selgas Palace, built in the 19th century by two brothers of wealthy birth. It is known for housing a painting which today is considered to be the first ever made by Goya, an important Spanish painter of the 19th-20th centuries. Nowadays, it has been adapted as a museum and it shows works of the recognised painter, among others. Places of interest ● Seaport: town’s vital centre, crucial factor for its development. ● Quinta de Selgas Palace: building of the 19th century with many French-style gardens where a painting, considered the first work of Goya, is exhibited. ● San Pedro’s Church. ● San Juan’s Castle: stronghold aimed to protect Cudillero from the English raids. ← Back to index Erasmus Student Network Vigo Local de asociaciones 3, edificio Miralles, Plaza Miralles, Campus Universitario Lagoas Marcosende s/n 36310 Vigo www.esnvigo.org 8 Castropol This town, located by the shore of the Ría de Ribadeo on the border with Galicia, is considered as one of the most long-suffering places in Asturias due to its historical evolution. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it enjoyed a considerable commercial importance in the zone, a fact acknowledged by the shipyards that existed in the town and were active for more than three centuries. This short-lived golden period came to an end in the 20th century, when the neighbouring villages of Ribadeo and Vegadeo, located at a much better position at the ría’s mouth in the north, began to attract the most part of the commercial activity. From that moment on, Castropol has fallen into a crisis that started to see the light some years ago, mainly thanks to tourism.

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