Immigrate to Spain to learn about Spanish cities: What comes to mind when you think of Spain? Bullfighting? Barcelona? Madrid? Flamenco? Don Quixote?
Today, let us explore a different side of Spain, a true and historical Spain.
In the northwest of Spain, along the windswept Atlantic Ocean, Asturias is one of the oldest regions in Spain. Everything here feels distinctly less Spanish.
Even if you are very familiar with European geography, you may have only heard of its capital, Oviedo, and perhaps the coastal town of Gijón.
The most famous building in Asturias—Santa María del Naranco—is a lesser-known example of Pre-Romanesque architecture, built in 848 AD.
Moreover, you will find that the churches here are different from those in other parts of Europe—while churches elsewhere are built in the core urban areas, often in the very center of the old town; the churches in Asturias are all located in the outskirts.
You can feel a sense of desolation here that is rarely found on Spanish soil.
The churches around Oviedo have long been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Asturias also boasts beautiful beaches, but due to the impact of the economic crisis, the number of tourists here has significantly declined, creating a sense of desolation.
There are also modern buildings here—in the almost ghost town of the industrial city of Avilés, there is a new work by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer: Centro Niemeyer.
This master is also the creator of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, which opened in 2011 to great fanfare—Spanish King Carlos, Woody Allen, Brad Pitt, and Kevin Spacey were all in attendance.
However, subsequent operational issues have plagued this ultra-modern building, which was once hoped to become a benchmark like the Guggenheim, but now can only serve as a place of reflection.