Page 295 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

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w Picos de Europa
Asturias, Cantabria, and Castilla y León.
@ Oviedo to Cangas de Onís. n
Cangas de Onís (985-84 86 14). Fuente
Dé cable car: Tel 942-73 66 10. Open
daily. Closed Jan 1 & 6; Dec 24, 25 & 31.
This beautiful mountain range –
christened “Peaks of Europe” by
returning sailors, as this was
often the first sight of their
homeland – offers superb
upland hiking and supports
a diversity of wildlife.
The two main gateways to The early 20th-century Palacio de la
Santa María del Naranco, a Pre-Romanesque the Picos are Cangas de Onís, Magdalena in Santander
church in Oviedo northwest of the park, and
Potes, on the eastern side. About style, following a fire in 1941
q Oviedo 8 km (5 miles) southeast of the that destroyed the entire town.
former, Covadonga is where, in The 12th-century crypt has
Asturias. * 225,000. £ @
n Marqués de Santa Cruz 1 (985-22 722, the Visigoth Pelayo is said to been preserved. Nearby, the
75 86). ∑ turismoviedo.es have defeated a Moorish army, Museo de Bellas Artes has
inspiring Christians to reconquer works by Goya and Zurbarán,
Oviedo, the cultural and the peninsula. The road south while the Museo de Prehistoria
commercial capital of Asturias, from Cangas de Onís follows the y Arqueología displays local
is best known for its Pre- spectacular gorge known as the finds, including Neolithic axe
Romanesque buildings. This Desfiladero de los Beyes. heads, Roman coins, pottery,
style flourished in the 8th–10th The Fuente Dé cable car, in and figurines.
centuries and was confined to the heart of the park, climbs On the Península de la
a small area of the kingdom 900 m (2,950 ft) to a rocky Magdalena stands the Palacio de
of Asturias, one of the few plateau, offering magnificent la Magdalena, built for Alfonso
areas of Spain that escaped panoramic views. XIII in 1912. The upscale seaside
invasion by the Moors. resort of El Sardinero, to the
With its huge barrel-vaulted e Santander north, has a long beach, chic
hall and arcaded galleries, the cafés, and a majestic white casino.
church of Santa María del Cantabria. * 175,700. k g £ @
Naranco, in the north of the n Jardines de Pereda (942-203 000). E Museo de Bellas Artes
city, was built as a summer _ International Festival (Jul–Aug). Calle Rubio 6. Tel 942-20 31 20.
palace for Ramiro I in the 9th Open Tue–Sun. 8
century. Equally impressive Cantabria’s capital, Santander,
are the church of San Miguel is a busy port that enjoys a E Museo de Prehistoria
de Lillo and the 9th-century splendid site on a deep bay on y Arqueología
church of San Julián de los Spain’s north Atlantic coast. The Calle Hernán Cortés 4. Tel 942-20 99
Prados, with its frescoes. cathedral was rebuilt in Gothic 22. Open Wed–Sun. & 7 8
In the center of Oviedo, the
Flamboyant Gothic cathedral
and the 9th-century Iglesia
de San Tirso are both worth
taking some time to see.
The city has two museums
of note: the Museo
Arqueológico, which contains
local prehistoric, Roman, and
Romanesque treasures, and
the Museo de Bellas Artes
(Museum of Fine Arts).
E Museo Arqueológico
Calle San Vicente 5. Tel 985-20 89 77.
Open Wed–Sun. 7
E Museo de Bellas Artes
Calle Santa Ana 1. Tel 985-21 30 61.
Open Tue–Sun. 7 19th-century Neo-Romanesque basilica in Covadonga, Picos de Europa

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