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Guide to Oviedo-Asturias, Spain
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Click to go to Flight Prices for Oviedo-Asturias
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Oviedo-Asturias Just north of the center of the Asturias region in the uppermost slice of Spain, a city known as Oviedo resides inside a splendid, rolling landscape with roughly 25 miles separating the grid from the Atlantic Ocean. Within this growing metropolis are thousands of seemingly blissfully joyful residents with an affinity for festivities, whether they are small, succinct, and familial, or nationally recognized and celebrated. Let's not forget the beautiful, intricate work of some of the most prized Spanish establishments in the world, located in a place worthy of heaps of praise, yet content with playing a humble role to preserve its homeliness, and to benefit the preservation of the Asturian lifestyle. Oviedo may appear a perfectly calm, very inviting city, but masked by its jovial atmosphere is a long history of violence, repeated upheaval, and conquest. Noting Oviedo's troubled past are numerous memorials and symbolic tokens placed throughout its map, mostly concentrated within the city's central district, though plenty more remain elsewhere, often ignored by visitors but nonetheless part of the nation's history, dating further back than the Reconquest. There's a lot going on in Oviedo. Industrialization has taken over as its primary source of income, though tourism has slowly been creeping steadily uphill, mostly an effect of word-of-mouth. You may find it difficult to locate a site within Oviedo perfectly preserved from its earliest days, yet it still stands as one of the finest examples of Spain prior to the 20th Century.
When to go:
One of the luckiest regions in Europe in terms of climates, Northern Spain is nearly a whole other place as opposed to Andalusia and a few regions closer to the center of the continent. Summers in Spain can be rather oppressive, particularly in its lower quadrants, but Oviedo and other cities near the Atlantic is more or less allowed to skip out on the intensely hot days of June, July, and August. If you're for an even cooler time to visit the city, consider booking a flight during spring, autumn, or even winter. Though snow may blanket the region in the coldest season of all on occasion, you'll rarely come across Germanic conditions. Therefore, you can leave those insulated boots at home.
Getting there and around:
Though it sorely is in need of one, Oviedo has learned to go without the benefit of an airport to serve its residents. Instead, locals rely on the terminals of Santiago del Monte, 52km away, which have been positioned to act as a geographically-centered hub for travelers coming in and out of Asturias. If you're up for an extended adventure, you can fly into the national capital, Madrid, for a train ride direct to Oviedo. Hemingway may have enjoyed traveling throughout Spain, but either he gave Oviedo the cold shoulder or simply lacked the time to wander its layout. Thankfully, you won't need a world-renowned literary master to tell you that Oviedo is easily navigable and pleasing to the eye at the same time. Public transit is plentiful throughout the grid, though you may need to be a bit more patient for service in the outer districts. Calling a taxi is always a possibility if your travel needs are very urgent.
Attractions:
Overlooking Oviedo are a few natural peaks, but upon Monte Naranco sit two man-made structures well worth the lengthy journey up the winding roads leading to their grounds. Dubbed Santa Maria del Naranco, both a 9th-century palace and an accompanying church offer unrestricted access to their interiors as well as the views afforded to visitors at their elevation. (Note: The church was converted from hunting lodge in the 12th Century.)
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