At the start of my trip around northern Spain I based myself in Oviedo, to enable me to see a bit of Asturian countryside and also the bulk of the sites in this inscription.

My first stop was to walk up to the sites at Monte Naranco overlooking the city. I was surprised by how small the monuments actually were; there was not a huge amount of room especially inside San Miguel de Lillo. The architecture was impressive in an understated, almost crude kind of way, and there were lovely sculpted detailing in the former palace of Santa Maria. The two sites were surrounded by nice green pastures and afforded wonderful views over Oviedo, especially down to Santiago Calatrava’s striking new conference centre. They are about 3km west of the station and uphill, it took me about 35 minutes to walk there from the station but Bus 10 is probably a better option for those that don’t fancy a bit of a hike. When I visited tours were given in Spanish, but I found it fairly easy to understand the gist as I had done a bit of background reading.

I walked back down into the city, accompanied by the sound of clunking cowbells in the nearby pastures and bagpipes at a local wedding. I didn’t make it down in time to see any of the interiors of the inscribed sites but did enjoy walking around and people watching on the streets of the charming old town. The Camara Santa is located inside the pleasant Cathedral, which was closed when I got there. The Basilica of San Julián de los Prados is located a short walk away from the centre on the main road heading out to Gijon. It is impressively lit up at night and makes a nice welcome to the city centre, however the busy road does somewhat destroy its ambiance. There is apparently a fine selection of Frescos inside. The final site I visited was La Foncalada located in the city centre at the end of Calle de Gascona. This is a small fountain, and decidedly unremarkable as a spectacle, but it is rather old and unique. The road on which it is situated is well worth heading to though. Calle de Gascona is full of sidrerias selling local cider. It is worth going just to watch the unique way in which it is poured, even if you don’t want to try any but you would be missing out as it is very fine.

I liked Oviedo it was a charming city with some lovely nightlife, and extremely helpful tourist information service at the Bus Station. It was a nice place to be based for two nights whilst exploring Asturias. The World Heritage Site includes some very impressive monuments to the early Christian heritage of Spain and makes a very worthwhile site to visit.

[Rating: Site 5, Experience 6]