Asturias
The Birthplace of Spain, Guardian of the Mountains
Asturias, wedged between the Cantabrian Mountains and the Bay of Biscay, is where Christian Spain was reborn. When all else fell to the Moors in 722, a small band of Visigothic warriors held the cave of Covadonga and launched the Reconquista. This green, rain-lashed land of cider, bagpipes, and pre-Romanesque churches has never forgotten its role as the cradle of kingdoms.