Spain
In the year 722 — or thereabouts, the exact date being the subject of scholarly debate that shows no signs of resolution — a Visigothic nobleman named Pelayo led a small force of Christian warriors into the cave of Covadonga in the mountains of Asturias and defeated a Muslim army, establishing the Kingdom of Asturias and beginning the Reconquista that would take seven centuries to complete. Cangas de Onis, a small town in the foothills of the Picos de Europa ten kilometres from Covadonga, was Pelayo's first capital — the seat of the Christian kingdom from which the reconquest of Iberia was launched. This founding mythology gives Cangas de Onis a historical significance vastly disproportionate to its present size of 6,500 residents.
The town's emblem is the Puente Romano — a medieval stone bridge (not actually Roman, despite the name) whose single arch spans the Sella River in an elegant curve, a 13th-century reproduction of the Victory Cross of Asturias hanging from its apex. The bridge, set against the green mountains and clear river that define the Asturian landscape, is one of the most photographed monuments in northern Spain. The town itself is a pleasant collection of stone buildings, cider bars, and mountain-sports outfitters that serves as the principal gateway to the Picos de Europa National Park — Spain's first national park, established in 1918, and a landscape of limestone peaks, gorges, and alpine meadows that rivals any mountain scenery in Europe.
The Covadonga sanctuary, the spiritual heart of Asturias, lies ten kilometres from Cangas de Onis at the entrance to the Picos de Europa. The cave-church of the Santa Cueva, where Pelayo is said to have made his stand, is built into the cliff face above a waterfall — a dramatic natural setting that has been a pilgrimage destination for over a millennium. Above the cave, the neo-Romanesque Basilica de Covadonga, completed in 1901, sits on a promontory with views across the Asturian valleys. Higher still, the Lagos de Covadonga — twin mountain lakes of glacial origin at 1,000 metres elevation — provide stunning high-altitude scenery and some of the finest wildflower meadows in the Cantabrian Mountains.
The gastronomy of Cangas de Onis reflects the agricultural abundance of Asturias. Fabada asturiana, the great bean stew, is served at every restaurant, but the local speciality is Cabrales cheese — a powerful blue cheese aged in the limestone caves of the Picos de Europa, whose pungent, complex flavour has made it one of Spain's most celebrated artisan cheeses. Sidra, poured in the escanciado manner from a height, is the region's essential beverage, its tart, refreshing character the perfect counterpoint to the rich stews and cheeses of the mountain kitchen. River trout from the Sella and salmon from the nearby Cares River add freshwater protein to a cuisine dominated by meat and dairy.
Cangas de Onis is visited by Tauck on Northern Spain itineraries as a land excursion component. The most rewarding visiting season is May through October, with June offering the best combination of warm weather, wildflower meadows in the Picos, and the long days that allow extended mountain excursions. The Descent of the Sella — an annual canoe race in August that covers 20 kilometres of river from Arriondas to Ribadesella — is one of Spain's most popular sporting festivals.