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Asturians - In the eighth century Asturians under the leadership of legendary Don Pelayo and spurred on by visions of the Virgin of Covadonga, were the first in Spain to claim victory over the Moors. Asturias became a bastion of Christian culture in the period of splendor that ensued, characterized by a pre-Romanesque architectural style that featured elaborate decorative elements and can still be seen in the churches of Santa Mar'a del Naranco, San Salvador de Valdedi's, and San Juli'n de los Prados, all declared Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO.

Cantabria - Once a province of Castilla y Le'n and as such that region's only exit to the sea, handling most of the trade flowing from Spain's heartland, Cantabria is today its own region, although its people still retain something of the austere Castilian character. Cantabria's capital, Santander, has also retained its charm. Calm, genteel, cultivated -an international university town- Santander stands high on a hill overlooking its magnificent bay. The coastal town of Comillas, also known for its university, is a centuries-old seignorial town of palaces and noble homes and an elegant summer resort as well.

Galicia - Tucked away in the northwestern corner of Spain, Galicia is a self-contained unit. Its damp climate and its exuberantly green vegetation remind visitors of the west coast of Ireland, and in fact, Galicia is a Celtic land -misty, imbued with legend, redolent with ancient myths and echoing with the sound of primitive bagpipes.

Pais Vasco - The Basque Country is historically unique; its traditions, customs, culture and its language, Euskera, unrelated to any Indo-European language, are all unlike any other region of Spain. Euskadi, as the region is called in Basque, is a friendly land of hardy and independent but hospitable people.

Aragon - The Aragonese have a reputation for being straightforward people, and theirs is a harsh stark land of untamed and untouched beauty. Francisco de Goya, born in the village of Fuendetodos, and sardonic film maker Luis Bu'uel both grew up here, and their mental toughness and firm principles were quintessentially Aragonese. To the north Arag'n is bordered by the Pyrenees and to the south by the Iberian mountains that separate the region from Castile and the orchard land of Valencia. Within Arag'n the mountains of El Maestrazgo and Montes Universales create their own awesome beauty. The Ebro, Spain's mightiest river, flows through the center of Arag'n past its capital, Zaragoza, forming a vast fertile valley that is among the most productive lands in Spain.

Castilla-La Mancha - It is not easy to categorize Castilla-La Mancha, for it is a region of great variety and complexity. On the one hand, there is the ruddy red earth, the windmills, and simple whitewashed villages of the province of Ciudad Real (which encompasses most of the area commonly called La Mancha). But there are also the strangely sculpted cliffs of Cuenca and Albacete, the hilly woodlands of Guadalajara and the dark mystery and ancient cultures of Toledo.

Castile and Le'n (Castilla y Le'n) - is the heartland of Spain -historically, aesthetically and culturally- and is the region that shaped the nation's history. Its lofty central plains with open skies was frontier land, where castles and walled towns marked the slow push south of Christian forces in their struggle against the Moors. Spain's legendary hero, El Cid, was born here and was instrumental in the expulsion of the Moors from the region.

Extremadura - With its mighty Tajo and Guadiana rivers, its wild and desolate mountain ranges and its rolling plains, Extremadura is one of the most unspoiled regions of Spain, bordering Castile to the north and east, Portugal to the west and Andaluc'a to the south. It is an indisputably beautiful area, and there are times of the year when the landscape is stunning, especially when the valley of La Vera fills with cherry blossoms in spring. But there is much more to Extremadura than scenic beauty or the sight of a golden eagle soaring over the hills of ilex and cork trees, and thousands of storks nesting in church belfries.

Rioja - South of the great Ebro River, bordering Navarre, lies La Rioja, a region that surely brings to mind excellent red wines. But La Rioja is so much more than that. It has a distinct personality, owing in part to the fact that it was a frontier zone, disputed between the powerful kingdoms of Castile and Navarre. It is an area that is very much associated with the Road to Saint James, which passes through it. A medieval holy man who came to be known as Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Saint Dominic of the Road), lived humbly in a hermitage along the route and built a bridge to ease the journey of the pilgrims. As his fame spread, pilgrims stopped to pay their respects, and a town grew up called Santo Domingo de la Calzada. La Rioja is also an area that produced Gonzalo de Berceo, the first important literary figure writing in Castilian Spanish.

Navarra - is an astonishingly varied part of Spain and exceptionally beautiful, especially to the north, where it meets the high Pyrenees, creating a land of soaring peaks, deep valleys, tranquil pastureland, swift-flowing rivers and streams that rush southward, chasmic gorges and thick forests of oak and beech. It is a pastoral landscape of the most luxuriously verdant valleys, where cattle graze and quaint villages of distinctive architecture appear. Navarra gradually levels off to the south in the Ebro Valley, where the climate is appropriate for vineyards, vegetables and wheat. Such is the variety of climates that in a corner of the province known as Las B'rdenas, there is even a mini desert.

Madrid - The region of Madrid divides into two different worlds. Rural Madrid features charming villages like Patones and Chinch'n, and first rate sights, such as the majestic El Escorial of Phillip II, Alcal' de Henares, a premiere university town in the sixteenth century, and Aranjuez, where the royal court once summered. Outdoor activities abound, from winter skiing in the high mountains to boating and other water sports in summer. The countryside around the city of Madrid is the escape valve, as it were, for the capital's people, a place where they can relax and enjoy life at a slower pace.

Andaluc'a - fits everyone's romantic image of Spain. Reaching down from the high and forbidding plateau of Castile, across the south of Spain to the shores of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, Andaluc'a divides into eight provinces: Huelva, C'diz, M'laga, Sevilla, Granada, C'rdoba, Ja'n and Almer'a.

Cataluna - Of all the regions that make up the ethnic, cultural and historical patchwork that is Spain, Catalonia is perhaps the most distinctive. You will notice immediately that the majority of people speak Catalan and not Castilian Spanish (the two languages are co-official), and you will soon learn that this is a region that is intensely proud of its own identity and heritage. Ask the Catalans themselves and they will tell you that their northeast corner of Spain is not a region but a nation. Not surprisingly, rivalry between Castile and Catalunya is an ongoing part of Spanish history. And while Castile directed its attention to the Atlantic and the New World, Catalunya concentrated its energies on the Mediterranean.

Ceuta - Set on an isthmus on the northern coast of Africa overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta is a city surrounded by the sea. An important port and commercial center, sometimes called the "Great Bazaar" because of its large number of stores, the city extends west from the Hacho Mountain, which juts out into the Mediterranean Sea and is said to be one of the legendary Towers of Hercules. From its heights, crowned by a fortress, exceptional views of the city, the Strait of Gibraltar and western Andaluc'a unfold, and at the outskirts of the city the Isabel II overlook provides memorable views.

Melilla - For centuries the city of Melilla has been an outpost of Spain because of its strategic location on the peninsula of Tres Forcas on Africa's Mediterranean coast. In ancient times the city was occupied by Phoenicians and Carthaginians before it was integrated into the Roman Empire in the first century. When the Moors conquered Spain, Melilla became part of the Caliphate of C'rdoba and later reverted to the kingdom of Fez. Melilla declined in the Middle Ages, becoming a refuge for pirates, until it was conquered by the Catholic Kings at the end of the fifteenth century, and it has remained Spanish since then. Subsequent monarchs repopulated and fortified the city, and in the eighteenth century Melilla was further secured by numerous fortresses that still ring the city.

Murcia - Wedged between the Valencia region and Andaluc'a. Murcia was historically coveted by Castilians and Valencians alike, but nevertheless managed to develop a strong personality of its own. Murcia was home to the ancient Iberians, Carthaginians and Romans, as well as the Visigoths and Moors. All found a land of plenty, and Murcia evolved as a synthesis of the different civilizations that passed through Spain. One of the most fair-weather regions of Spain, Murcia receives three thousand hours of sunshine a year, and the Mar Menor ("Little Sea"), a huge salt water lagoon, enclosed by sand banks that is the largest of the European continent, provides magnificently warm waters and many extra miles of beachfront. Conditions are ideal for creating salt flats, from which salt was extracted by the ancients to preserve fish, and today it is a local industry. At the northern end of the lagoon the salt pans and wading flamingos present a stunning scene.

Valencia - The autonomous region of Valencia is comprised of three provinces: Castell'n, Valencia and Alicante, and it occupies the central portion of Spain's eastern coastline. Wide fine sand beaches, year round gentle climate, endless sunshine and the sparkling Mediterranean makes this a region exceptionally popular with tourists. Valencia is a prosperous region, a patchwork of orchards, rice paddies and vineyards. Some farm land, however, has given way to industry since the 1960's, for Valencia is a key manufacturing center for textiles, toys, and footwear.

Balearic - The three major islands of the Baleares -Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza- although grouped together in the Mediterranean off Spain's eastern coast, are in fact greatly different in geography, climate and personality. They are, however, similar gastronomically, featuring wonderful seafood, sobrasada (a spreadable chorizo-style sausage) and ensaimadas -spiraled sweet breads.

Canary Islands -Known to the ancient Greeks as The Fortunate Islands, the Canary Islands are indeed blessed: exuberantly green and temperate all year-round. There are seven islands in the archipelago: Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro. All were similarly formed by volcanic upheavals, creating dramatic mountains and craters and spectacular scenery.

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