Covadonga y los Picos de Europa

Asturias

Copyright: Marques/Shutterstock.com
DESTINATIONS spain asturias Do & See Covadonga y los Picos de Europa

Covadonga y los Picos de Europa

Covadonga is the gateway to the Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa, the largest national park in Western Europe. The village’s main landmark is the 19th-century mock-Romanesque cathedral. Outside stands a statue of Pelayo, the Visigoth prince who defeated an army of Moors here in 722 AD.

Do & See

Relics of earlier eras are scattered in and around the cities, including many pre-Romanesque churches and other buildings dating back to the 8th and the 10th centuries, when Asturias was one of the few regions of Christian Spain to remain unconquered by the Moors, who occupied most parts of the Iberian Peninsula. The region was a cradle of prehistoric civilisation, and remarkable cave paintings may be seen at the Cueva de Tito Bustillo in Ribadesella. Almost one-third of the region has been designated as a region of outstanding natural beauty, and four nature reserves have been given UNESCO Biosphere status.