World Best Travel

Hospitality and History – Both in Ourense

Air Travel article brought to you by Stephenmorgan

Galicia in particular and Northern Spain in general have long been considered to be a hidden jewel in the entire Spanish tourist industry and hidden away within Galicia itself are some further jewels and we are going to examine further.

If you look at all of the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia has to be the most remote and hidden away within that remoteness lies.

Historically, always classed as the poorer cousin to some of the other richer regions Galicia had an economy that did not easily lend itself to modernisation and herein lies a paradox in that it is this very reluctance to embrace modernity throughout that gives the region much of its appeal as far as tourism is concerned.

The natives of Galicia if you trace them back far enough have origins very similar to their Celtic cousins in the north and are justifiably proud of their language and culture and these connections no matter how stretched or tenuous give them their sense of regionalism and uniqueness.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

Slowly but surely in the 20th century, Galicia began to develop and today traditional lifestyles rub shoulders with modernity throughout the region whilst at the same time the region has lost none of its more traditional culture and within the tourism economy this is starting to show real benefits.

The less well known town of Ourense is the provincial capital of Galicia’s innermost province and can be known in this over the region on the main road leading eastward into the country from the port of Vigo.

According to popular tradition than name Ourense is derived from the Hot springs that can be found there and much loved by the Romans who called the town Aquae Urentes (warm waters).

The town retained its importance both politically and geographically down through the centuries in various guises leading to the fact that it is one of the four provincial capitals that make up the modern day region known as Galicia.

Again likely to one of the most striking visitor attractions within Ourense ease the cathedral. The building work on the Cathedral de San Martino was started in the 12th century and as a result most of its features are very traditional in a style that has been described as late Roman and Early Gothic. The interior of the cathedral is quite big and long and has been described as quite gloomy by a great many visitors.

Ourense is one of those towns that very much still follow the original roman architecture and design with regards to town planning and layout.

Other parts of Ourense that are worth taking note are the Praza de Magdalena which is just off the main square and is characterised by beautiful overhanging buildings and flowers. This square is dominated by yet another church as well as the cathedral and this time the church is the Iglesia de Santa Maria Madre which is an attractive church of Baroque design that is built on the site of an earlier 11th Century original.

South of the old town you will find the original hot springs which first attracted the Romans to settle the area. They still pump out water at a healthy 65 degrees so don’t keep your hands under the water for too long!

All in all Ourense is definitely well worth a visit.

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Ferrol and The Northern Coast of Galicia

Air Travel article brought to you by Stephenmorgan

Galicia in particular and Northern Spain in general have long been considered to be a hidden jewel in the entire Spanish tourist industry and hidden away within Galicia itself are some further jewels and we are going to examine Ferrol further.

If you look at all of the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia has to be the most remote and hidden away within that remoteness lies Ferrol.

Historically, always classed as the poorer cousin to some of the other richer regions Galicia had an economy that did not easily lend itself to modernisation and herein lies a paradox in that it is this very reluctance to embrace modernity throughout that gives the region much of its appeal as far as tourism is concerned.

The natives of Galicia if you trace them back far enough have origins very similar to their Celtic cousins in the north and are justifiably proud of their language and culture and these connections no matter how stretched or tenuous give them their sense of regionalism and uniqueness.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

Slowly but surely in the 20th century, Galicia began to develop and today traditional lifestyles rub shoulders with modernity throughout the region whilst at the same time the region has lost none of its more traditional culture and within the tourism economy this is starting to show real benefits.

Ferrol can be found on the northern coast of Galicia and is mid way between the coastlines known as the Rias Altas and the Costa da Morte. It is located on the northern shores of the Ria de Betanzos.

Ferrol is perhaps better known for one of the towns most famous (or infamous) sons, a certain Francisco France y Bahamonde who later on in life became better known as just simply General Franco, leader of Spain between the between the 1930’s up until the ate 1960’s and extremely influential up until his death in 1975.

Perhaps it is something to do with the local approach to the whole General Franco association but Ferrol is very much a town that has possibly a schizophrenic approach to itself and its history.

As a naval port, Ferrol lost most of its influence (and Spanish fleet) in the peninsular war of the early 1800’s but it still retains quite some influence us fall as being a port is concerned and evidence of the Spanish Navy can be found throughout the town.

Sadly as an area of quite high unemployment many would view that Ferrol’s greatest days are behind it, however the streets around the harbour would tend to suggest otherwise.

Sadly the outskirts of the town have been described as some of most depressing urban landscapes in all of Spain but don’t let this distract you from visiting the city centre is this still retains a certain charm.

Yes, the waterfront is mostly dominated and taken out by naval buildings and dockyards but if you walk along the waterfront you can get a good idea of just how large Ferrols natural harbour actually is.

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Holiday in the Rias Baixas

Air Travel article brought to you by Stephenmorgan

Galicia in particular and Northern Spain in general have long been considered to be a hidden jewel in the entire Spanish tourist industry and hidden away within Galicia itself are some further jewels and we are going to examine Costa da Morte further.

If you look at all of the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia has to be the most remote and hidden away within that remoteness lies Costa da Morte.

Historically, always classed as the poorer cousin to some of the other richer regions Galicia had an economy that did not easily lend itself to modernisation and herein lies a paradox in that it is this very reluctance to embrace modernity throughout that gives the region much of its appeal as far as tourism is concerned.

The natives of Galicia if you trace them back far enough have origins very similar to their Celtic cousins in the north and are justifiably proud of their language and culture and these connections no matter how stretched or tenuous give them their sense of regionalism and uniqueness.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

Slowly but surely in the 20th century, Galicia began to develop and today traditional lifestyles rub shoulders with modernity throughout the region whilst at the same time the region has lost none of its more traditional culture and within the tourism economy this is starting to show real benefits.

Located between Cabo San Adrian near Malpica in the North and the Cabo Fisterra in the south west lies the Costa da Morte which as you would expect roughly translates into the “Coast of Death” so names because of the large number of shipwrecks that had been smashed to pieces on the rugged shoreline and also found offshore.

How much of this is actual fact and how much is embellished fantasy it doesn’t matter, as they say, why let the truth get in the way of a good story.

The one fact that is inescapable is the fact that the coast is extremely wild, windswept and rugged. It also has another grim and foreboding aspect to it and these are a series of stone “cruceiros” and also gigantic “borreos” which do tend to add a degree of solemnity bordering on the morbid to it.

That having been said however there is more to the Costa da Morte than just wild rugged scenery and huge Celtic crosses.

The first stop on the coast as you travel southwards from Coruna is Malpica which has been described as a large friendly fishing town that depending upon the day you arrive may or may not be awash with Sea Gulls aplenty!

Next further down the coast is Corme. The town can be reached by a small side road off the main coastal road and is located in a small gentle bay that is used to farm and cultivate shell fish.

Further down the coast from Corme can be found the towns of Ponteceso, Camarinas and Muxia and actual evidence that there is more to see on the Coast da Morte than one would initially think.

There is more to see on the Coast da Morte than one would initially think and it is most definitely an interesting part of any visit to Galicia.

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Holiday in Southern Galicia

Air Travel article brought to you by Scott James

Galicia in particular and Northern Spain in general have long been considered to be a hidden jewel in the entire Spanish tourist industry and hidden away within Galicia itself are some further jewels and we are going to examine Northern Galicia further.

If you look at all of the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia has to be the most remote and hidden away within that remoteness lies Northern Galicia.

Historically, always classed as the poorer cousin to some of the other richer regions Galicia had an economy that did not easily lend itself to modernisation and herein lies a paradox in that it is this very reluctance to embrace modernity throughout that gives the region much of its appeal as far as tourism is concerned.

The natives of Galicia if you trace them back far enough have origins very similar to their Celtic cousins in the north and are justifiably proud of their language and culture and these connections no matter how stretched or tenuous give them their sense of regionalism and uniqueness.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

Slowly but surely in the 20th century, Galicia began to develop and today traditional lifestyles rub shoulders with modernity throughout the region whilst at the same time the region has lost none of its more traditional culture and within the tourism economy this is starting to show real benefits.

Northern Galicia covers an area north of a line to drawn from Santiago de Compostela in the West and Lugo and the Reserva Nacional De Os Ancares in the East.

If you include Santiago de Compostela in this region along with Coruna you actually have two of the biggest Cities of the region and two of the major tourist areas, the Costa de Morte and Rias Altas.

As has been mentioned, Santiago is the regions major tourist attraction and in many ways is the centrepiece of the entire region with regards to the “Way of Saint James” having routes leading to it literally from not only all of Galicia but from all of the Spain and beyond.

Other interesting towns and tourist destinations in Northern Galicia would consist of Lugo, Betanzos and Mondonedo. There is a nice coastal drive along the northern coast and the Rias Altas starting at Ribadeo in the East and travelling through Foz, Burela, Cervo, Viveiro, Ortigueira, Cediera and Ferrol finally arriving at Coruna in the west. As had been mentioned, this drive takes in the entire Rias Altas which is a beautiful area of the region in itself.

Heading westwards from Coruna you would then take in the area known as the Costa de Morta – the Coast of Death, so called because of the many shipwrecks found offshore.

The drive from Coruna takes in Caion and then leads slightly inland to Carballo before you arrive in Malpica. From there you would head south via Laxe and Camarinas arriving at the most westerly part of the Galician coastline in Cabo Fisterra. This drive is characterized by a wild and windswept landscape and the scenery is characterized by steep cliffs and a rugged coastline. Quite awesome natural beauty but also this has a strange feature in that at periodic intervals throughout the journey you’ll find quite distinctive Cruceiros or Celtic crosses that indicate various stations of the Cross and in relation to this coastline where accidents and shipwrecks have occurred.

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Beautiful Coastal Scenery in the Rias Baixas

Air Travel article brought to you by Scott James

Galicia in particular and Northern Spain in general have long been considered to be a hidden jewel in the entire Spanish tourist industry and hidden away within Galicia itself are some further jewels and we are going to examine Rias Baixas further.

If you look at all of the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia has to be the most remote and hidden away within that remoteness lies Rias Baixas.

Historically, always classed as the poorer cousin to some of the other richer regions Galicia had an economy that did not easily lend itself to modernisation and herein lies a paradox in that it is this very reluctance to embrace modernity throughout that gives the region much of its appeal as far as tourism is concerned.

The natives of Galicia if you trace them back far enough have origins very similar to their Celtic cousins in the north and are justifiably proud of their language and culture and these connections no matter how stretched or tenuous give them their sense of regionalism and uniqueness.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

Slowly but surely in the 20th century, Galicia began to develop and today traditional lifestyles rub shoulders with modernity throughout the region whilst at the same time the region has lost none of its more traditional culture and within the tourism economy this is starting to show real benefits.

This southern part of Galicia’s west coast consists of a series of four Rias or inlets set amongst pine covered hills and really is a most beautiful location.

The beaches on this part of the coast are extremely good, the scenery is terrific and beaches are extremely safe for tourists to bathe in and given that the climate is much milder than on the wild Coast to the north and you can understand why there is such an appeal for this part of Galicia for tourists.

This part of the Galician coast is very much the most popular part and whilst as has been said that the beaches are good they are perhaps not as good as those found further north round the Coast da Morte.

The Rias Baixas is very much the coastal tourist attraction as far as most Galicians are concerned and the description of the area can be very confusing. Firstly there is this general conception that the Rias are like Norwegian Fjords and whilst there may be an argument to be had on this issue further north, in the Rias Baixas the waters are very shallow and the beaches very sandy. The majority of the quality shell fish provided by Galician fishermen is farmed and caught in this area.

There are parts of the coast line of the Rias Baixas that are popular but by and large the coast is unspoilt. The areas around Vilagarcia de arousa and Panxon are the made tourist areas but there are quieter areas of the Rias such as the stretch of coast between Muros and Noia.

This part of the Galician coastline provides some of the richest and most fertile fishing areas on the entire Spanish coast and the climate in this area is such that it produces the finest in Galician Wines.

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Enjoy the History that is Coruna

Air Travel article brought to you by stephenmorgan

With regards to the tourist industry within Spain, Northern Spain and in particular Galicia especially have been very much a hidden treasure and hidden within lies a further particular treasure called Coruna. Of all of the autonomous regions of Spain Galicia is considered the most remote and therein lies the charm of Coruna hidden away longing to be discovered.

Galicia has always been seen as a poor rural region, whose economy was dependent upon agriculture and fishing and did not lend itself to modernisation and yet as far as tourism is concerned it is this constant contact with the past that gives the region its appeal and charm.

The Galicians are fiercely proud of their culture and language and their Celtic heritage; it is what makes them unique (they feel) within modern day Spain.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

In what has been a mountain to climb slowly but surely Galicia is now trying to manage successfully the twin track of its regional lifestyle with a much more modern society and thankfully this appears to have had very positive results with regards to tourism with little sign of negative effects..

Corona is the oldest town in Galicia. It is even mentioned in Irish Celtic folklore as the destination of the Celtic hero Breogan who apparently travelled to the Iberian Peninsula, landed and where he landed built a tower.

There is a large tower outside Coruna, but this particular town is a famous lighthouse and is called the Torres de Hercules and dates back from Roman times. The tower is the world’s oldest working lighthouse and has been the subject of a recent renovation project which has restored the lighthouse to almost its original splendour. The tower was originally built during the period of the Roman Emperor Trajan but legend attributes the construction to Hercules which as has been proven is not quite true but is a splendid tale nonetheless.

Coruna is also the birthplace to a local heroine of Galician folklore (in this case a story more substantiated) Maria Pitt who it is alleged became a heroine overnight when she was the focal point and leader of the Galician Resistance to the English sailor (and in this case probably privateer) Sir Francis Drake when he raided Coruna in 1589.

Coruna has been one of the most important ports within the whole country of Spain for centuries and is one of the centres for the Spanish fishing fleet that travels as far away as fishing grounds off the coasts of Iceland and Canada.
Fishing is immensely important to the Spanish who actually probably consume more seafood than any other European country with the exception of Portugal.

The Galician fishing fleet which has been mentioned is centred in Coruna and Vigo supplies near the half of the fish and shellfish caught and consumed in Spain. The industry employs as a nation over 61,000 fishermen and over 16,000 boats with as has been said more than 50 percent of the fleet based in Galicia so you can see that Fishing is immensely important to the local economy.

There is more to Coruna, in fact a whole lot more than just fishing and the delights of Coruna are in fact many and varied.

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Exploring Santiago de Compostela

Air Travel article brought to you by stephenmorgan

With regards to the tourist industry within Spain, Northern Spain and in particular Galicia especially have been very much a hidden treasure and hidden within lies a further particular treasure called Santiago de Compostela. Of all of the autonomous regions of Spain Galicia is considered the most remote and therein lies the charm of Santiago de Compostela hidden away longing to be discovered.

Galicia has always been seen as a poor rural region, whose economy was dependent upon agriculture and fishing and did not lend itself to modernisation and yet as far as tourism is concerned it is this constant contact with the past that gives the region its appeal and charm.

The Galicians are fiercely proud of their culture and language and their Celtic heritage; it is what makes them unique (they feel) within modern day Spain.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

In what has been a mountain to climb slowly but surely Galicia is now trying to manage successfully the twin track of its regional lifestyle with a much more modern society and thankfully this appears to have had very positive results with regards to tourism with little sign of negative effects..

What can be said about Santiago de Compostela that probably hasn’t been said already? As the location for allegedly the third most visited pilgrimage site in Christendom, you can imagine that to that end an industry has risen alongside and to serve what has now become a major tourism attraction.

Of the many sights to see in Santiago (and there are indeed a great many) perhaps the Cathedral is the most impressive and the one sight that greets most Pilgrims travelling the Way of Saint James as they near the City.

For those not familiar with the background to the pilgrimage site in Santiago the story and legend is as follows. Apparently or according to legend the apostle St. James was responsible for bringing Christianity to Spain. Now this is actually open to question because the generally accepted convention is that the apostle James was martyred in Palestine in AD 45 but it apparently before his death he apostle James had in fact visited Spain to bring the stories of the Gospel to her people. The story then goes on to say that allegedly after his martyrdom, the apostles body was later brought to Spain on a ship by angels.

The story then goes on to claim that apparently in 814, a hermit was guided to rediscover the Apostles hitherto undiscovered tomb in a cave in a secluded hillside in Galicia by a shower of stars (the word Compostela literally means “shower of stars”). The local Bishop at the time declared the bones to be genuine – how he accomplished this all without the help of modern day technology is actually probably more of a miracle than the discovery of the bones themselves and hey presto a legend was born and over the years the site has risen to become one of the most visited shrines in all Christendom.

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Hunting For Treasures in Pontevedra

Air Travel article brought to you by Scott James

With regards to the tourist industry within Spain, Northern Spain and in particular Galicia especially have been very much a hidden treasure and hidden within lies a further particular treasure called Pontevedra. Of all of the autonomous regions of Spain Galicia is considered the most remote and therein lies the charm of Pontevedra hidden away longing to be discovered.

Galicia has always been seen as a poor rural region, whose economy was dependent upon agriculture and fishing and did not lend itself to modernisation and yet as far as tourism is concerned it is this constant contact with the past that gives the region its appeal and charm.

The Galicians are fiercely proud of their culture and language and their Celtic heritage; it is what makes them unique (they feel) within modern day Spain.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

In what has been a mountain to climb slowly but surely Galicia is now trying to manage successfully the twin track of its regional lifestyle with a much more modern society and thankfully this appears to have had very positive results with regards to tourism with little sign of negative effects..

For those who wish to visit somewhere slightly interesting and possibly out over the ordinary then a trip to Pontevedra is just the order for the day.

Pontevedra can be found on the main road leading from Vigo northwards to Santiago de Compostela on the N550. If you believe the stories that surround the town according to myths and legends and then Pontevedra was supposedly built by a character called Teucro who was one of the heroes of the Trojan War.

In reality however Pontevedra was actually constructed by the Romans who first constructed a bridge across the Lerez River and the present day town began to emerge round this bridge.

The original bridge has now been restored almost to its original condition and is now called A Ponte do Burgo and the bridge remains to this day one of the town’s principal landmarks. The town is also one off the four provincial capitals within Galicia.

A tour of Pontevedra is probably best started on what is called the Alameda Boulevard which has often been described as the green lungs of the town. One of the more established parts of the city the boulevard houses many lovely 19th century buildings that are now home to many important offices.

If one had to provide a potential top five of “must see” sites in Pontevedra then I guess that the following would make it onto the list.

The first site would possibly be the Ruinos do Santa Domingo which are the ruins of a Gothic church which can be found at the end of the Alameda Boulevard. These ruins form part of the Museo de Pontevedra where it is possible to see Roman artefacts medieval coats of arms and tombs. The main buildings of the museum which is highly regarded and viewed as one of the best in Galicia can be found on the Praza da Lena.

All in all museums and collections house rare artefacts including Gold Celtic bracelets and necklaces and locally found Bronze Age treasures.

Alongside these ancient artefacts can be found rare paintings from down through the centuries including paintings by Zurbarin and Goya.

There are other attractions within Pontevedra amongst which is the huge Praza da Ferraria with its huge fountain in the centre. Alongside this and worthy of a mention is the Casa das Caras with its sculpted faces, the 14th Century Iglesia de San Francisco.

Perhaps the best site to see in Pontevedra is what could be described as one of the greatest monuments to Galician Architecture is the 16th Century Basilica de Santa Maria la Mayor.

The church, dedicated to Pontevedra’s patron saint, the Virgin de la Peregrina and is built to a circular plan and features amongst its many highlights a bow fronted fa?ade that is well worth a visit.

All in all Pontevedra is perhaps not the tiny, boring little town in the regions that many assume it to be.

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Ribadeo and the Northern Coast of Galicia

Air Travel article brought to you by Stephenmorgan

Galicia in particular and Northern Spain in general have long been considered to be a hidden jewel in the entire Spanish tourist industry and hidden away within Galicia itself are some further jewels and we are going to examine Ribadeo further.

If you look at all of the autonomous regions that make up modern day Spain, Galicia has to be the most remote and hidden away within that remoteness lies Ribadeo.

Historically, always classed as the poorer cousin to some of the other richer regions Galicia had an economy that did not easily lend itself to modernisation and herein lies a paradox in that it is this very reluctance to embrace modernity throughout that gives the region much of its appeal as far as tourism is concerned.

The natives of Galicia if you trace them back far enough have origins very similar to their Celtic cousins in the north and are justifiably proud of their language and culture and these connections no matter how stretched or tenuous give them their sense of regionalism and uniqueness.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

Slowly but surely in the 20th century, Galicia began to develop and today traditional lifestyles rub shoulders with modernity throughout the region whilst at the same time the region has lost none of its more traditional culture and within the tourism economy this is starting to show real benefits.

Ribadeo can be found on the northern coast of Galicia and Northern Spain. It is actually the most eastern of all of the major towns in Galicia and is on the main coastal road into Galicia (the N634) from Oviedo.

Like its near coastal neighbour, Viveiro, Ribadeo is on the stretch of coastline known as the Rias Altas, an area of outstanding natural beauty that should not be missed by any tourist or visitor to the area.

It would be wrong to call the Rias Altas paradise as that in itself would tend to attract possibly the wrong type of visitor that could in fact damage the very reason for visiting the area in the first place.

And Don Henley of the Eagles sings in the “The Last Resort” on the album Hotel California: “Call someplace paradise, I don’t know why. Call someplace paradise kiss it goodbye” and such it would be with the Rias Altas.

Let’s just leave it that it is an area of outstanding natural beauty that hopefully will be well preserved by European legislation and will be there for visitors and locals alike for a great many years to come.

With regards to Ribadeo, it can be found at the head of the Ria de Ribadeo and at the mouth of the river Eo from which the town gets its name. It is an attractive fishing town and the town itself is home to the Colegiata de Santa Maria de Campo, an 18th Century church with two extremely attractive baroque altarpieces. The harbour area of the town is extremely pleasant and can be found at the end of a series of steep streets leading down the hillside.

All in all it is quite picturesque, certainly with the views across the river to the neighbouring region of Asturias.

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Sample Some History as Well as Hospitality in Lugo

Air Travel article brought to you by stephenmorgan

With regards to the tourist industry within Spain, Northern Spain and in particular Galicia especially have been very much a hidden treasure and hidden within lies a further particular treasure called [[keyword]]. Of all of the autonomous regions of Spain Galicia is considered the most remote and therein lies the charm of [[keyword]] hidden away longing to be discovered.

Galicia has always been seen as a poor rural region, whose economy was dependent upon agriculture and fishing and did not lend itself to modernisation and yet as far as tourism is concerned it is this constant contact with the past that gives the region its appeal and charm.

The Galicians are fiercely proud of their culture and language and their Celtic heritage; it is what makes them unique (they feel) within modern day Spain.

Galicia always seemed to be a very closed and inward looking area being fiercely resistant to any formal external invasion and in many ways this degree of isolation was very much driven by the geographical location of the region.

In what has been a mountain to climb slowly but surely Galicia is now trying to manage successfully the twin track of its regional lifestyle with a much more modern society and thankfully this appears to have had very positive results with regards to tourism with little sign of negative effects..

The ancient town of Lugo is in eastern Galicia lays on one of the main roads into Galicia from Leon. It was not surprising given its location that the Romans chose to use it as their provincial regional capital.

As many historians have pointed out on quite a few occasions the Romans were a race that never did anything by half measures and so you can be rest assured that when they decided to use Lugo as their regional headquarters firstly they would make sure that it was fortified and secondly they would make sure that those fortifications were extremely robust and well constructed.

Hence you know have a town built in the 21st century that has some of the finest examples of Roman fortifications and architecture in existence today. So much so that the walls of Lugo are now major tourist attractions in their own right.

The Roman settlement at Lugo originates from about 15 BC but the actual fortifications were begun in earnest in the third century AD under the rule of the Roman emperor Augustus.

As has been mentioned before, the walls of Lugo surround the entire town and they are punctuated at regular intervals throughout the entire circumference by outposts of 82 different towers.

The other main attraction of Lugo is its Cathedral which now sits on the site of an earlier church construction that stems from the 12th Century. Perhaps not as large or impressive as its westernmost neighbour in Santiago de Compostela, the Cathedral at Lugo is still well worth a visit if you have the time.

Within the town walls the streets still follow a traditional roman axis and the narrow cobble stoned streets are a delight to wander around when you have the time and there are quite a few interesting restaurants that can be found in out of the way locations dotted throughout the town.

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