The spectacular Picos de Europa massif sits astride the border between Asturias and Cantabria. In this rural region cottage crafts are kept alive in villages in remote mountain valleys and forested foothills. There are many ancient towns and churches, and pretty fishing ports on the coasts. Cave paintings, such as those at Altamira, were made by people living here over 18,000 years ago.
An ancient principality, Asturias is also known as the Costa Verde (Green Coast). The secluded mountain valleys and wooded hills have attracted settlers to the region since time immemorial. Asturias is proud that it resisted invasion by the Moors. The Reconquest of Spain is traditionally held to have begun in 718, when a Moorish force was defeated by Christians at Covadonga in the Picos de Europa.
The Christian kingdom of Asturias was founded in the 8th century, and in the brilliant, brief artistic period that followed many churches were built around the capital, Oviedo. Some of them still stand. In 1037 Asturias was absorbed into Castile. Asturias was a strong player in the 19th-century industrial revolution in Spain, with coal mining from Gijón to Oviedo, and steelmaking and shipbuilding in Gijón.
Though much of this industry has closed, its legacy is reflected in the Austurian character, which is roughedged but friendly. Today Asturian towns have a lively cultural life. Cantabria centres on Santander, its capital, a port and a lively resort. It is a mountainous province with a legacy of isolated Romanesque churches and well-preserved towns and villages such as Santillana del Mar, Carmona and Bárcena Mayor.
Mountains cover more than half of both provinces, so mountain sports are a major attraction. Expanses of deciduous forests remain, some sheltering Spain's dwindling population of wild bears. Equally beguiling is the beautiful coast, with pretty fishing ports and resorts, such as Castro Urdiales, Ribadesella and Comillas, and sandy coves for bathing.
The biggest attraction in this area is the group of mountains that straddles the two provinces – the Picos de Europa. These jagged peaks offer excellent rock climbing and rough hiking. The coast offers sandy coves, spectacular cliffs and remote villages. Santander and Oviedo are lively university cities with a rich cultural life.
There are innumerable unspoiled villages to explore, especially the ancient town of Santillana del Mar. Some of the earliest examples of art exist in Cantabria, most notably at Altamira, where the cave drawings and engravings are among the oldest to be found in Europe.
In Spain, the Celtic legacy is also evident in bagpipe music, which combines elements of Celtic and Iberian culture. There are six types of bagpipes, the best-known being the Galician (gaita) and the slightly larger Asturian. Although similar in appearance to Scottish bagpipes, they differ in terms of the number of bourdon pipes as well as range and fingering.
Air from the leather bellows is squeezed into the two pipes, which produce the characteristic rich sound. Men dressed in traditional Asturian costume can often be seen on the streets of Asturias playing old folk melodies.
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1. Northern Spain is home to some of the most beautiful places in the world
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