Oviedo.

Oviedo is the capital of Asturias, set on a hill in the green interior of the region, inland from the coast. Its old town keeps a dense core of stone streets and grand plazas, framed by nineteenth-century facades, with the Gothic cathedral at its centre, begun in the fourteenth century and home to the relics of the Cámara Santa. On Monte Naranco, above the city, stand Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, built under King Ramiro I in the ninth century and counted among the pre-Romanesque monuments of Oviedo listed as UNESCO World Heritage.

Cider culture runs through daily life here. Calle Gascona, known locally as the cider boulevard, is lined with sidrerías where servers pour Asturian sidra from a height to aerate it before it is drunk. The apples come from orchards across the Asturian countryside, and the ritual of pouring is as much a part of the culture as the drink itself.

As a university city, Oviedo carries a steady current of student life through its squares and cafés, alongside its museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias. Campo de San Francisco, a large park near the old town, offers shaded paths and ponds just steps from the monuments.