Lugo
Lugo is the only city in Europe which is completely surrounded by well preserved roman walls. These reach a height of up to 15 metres along a 2 kilometre ring with 71 towers. It's possible to walk along these walls to do the complete circuit. They date back to the third century and are a UNESCO world heritage site. Lugo is also the fourth largest city in Galicia with a population of nearly 100,000 but its province extends as far as the Asturian border as well with Leon. There are some great views looking out of the city towards the River Mino valley.
| Roman Walls, Lugo |
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| by diegoperez74 @ flickr.com |
Places of particular interest include the magnificent Cathedral where by Papal Decree the Holy Sacrament is permanently displayed on the High Altar in gold, silver and jewels surrounded by marble angles, Museo Provincial which houses a collection of Galician art, Parque Rosalia de Castro (named after the famous Galician poet) and the Praza Maior which is the main square full of good cafes.
Within the province of Lugo there are a lot of places to visit including the magnificent nature reserve Os Ancares with impressive mountains which rise to over 2000 metres with snow capped peaks even in summer where wild wolves roam and where there are traditional Celtic working villages at Piornedo, Balouta y O Cebreiro with ancient roundhouses and thatched roofs. It's in Piedrafita do Cebreiro where the Camino De Santiago enters Galicia and many pilgrims arrive there and stop to rest a while in special shelters/hostals before setting off in the hard last phase of their journey across the mountains on the way to Santiago.
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| by Rufino Lasaosa @ flickr.com |
There are also numerous, pretty coastal villages on the Green Coast (Cantabrian Sea) with small fishing ports and nice, secluded beaches worth visiting such as Ribadeo, Burela and Viviero. Mondonenedo used to be in ancient times the old Capital of the Kingdom of Galicia and is worth stopping to see the remnants of its memorable past surrounded by mountains and famous caves like Rey Cintolo. There are other special places with castles, monasteries and roman remains in this province such as at Monforte de Lemos, Vilalba and Portomarin.
The province of Lugo is also the home for many famous and special cheeses like San Simon and Cebreiro, smoked and cured hams and spirits and liquors mixed with mountain honey and the coastal villages are also the best places to eat hake and tuna in the whole of Spain.
City of LugoBeach of The Cathedrals
