Guide to Lugo – Galicia, Basque Country (Pais Vasco), Spain

Lugo has been a provincial capital since Roman times and lies between A Coruna and Asturias. Throughout its history it has attracted unwanted attention from both the Vikings and the Moors, both having set fire to the area.

However, the city of Lugo has still managed to preserve major remains of its Roman past, among them its ancient wall, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The coast of Lugo also boasts some of the most beautiful seaside towns in the region including Viveiro, Foz and Ribadeo. The natural landscape provides panoramic views of such places as Catedrais, one of the most unique and largest beaches on the Galician coast. The region is known as Ribeira Sacra, also hosts a large number of monasteries and hermitages that were established in the Middle Ages. The province manages to capture all that is naturally beautiful and garnishes it with deep historical roots.

The historic quarter of Lugo can be accessed by any one of the wall’s ten gates where quiet pedestrian streets, wide squares and spacious gardens can be found and where important buildings such as the Cathedral, the Archiepiscopal Palace, and the City Hall stand out.

The first place to head for has to be the Cathedral in the Plaza de Santa Maria, however, visitors are easily tempted by another renowned building located in the same square, the Episcopal Palace. Here visitors really are spoilt for choice with the Roman thermal baths and the Convent of San Francisco to name but a few.

From the Rosalia de Castro park viewing point you can take in a panoramic view of the Mino valley, famous for its thermal waters. The thermal springs were first used by the Romans who actually discovered the therapeutic properties present in the waters.

Places of interest in Lugo

Santa Baia de Boveda

A site of great archaeological and artistic value. Declared a National Monument in 1931, the building is half-buried and contains a fine collection of late Roman murals.

Viladonga

Visitors here will find one of the most well-preserved castors, an old Iberian-Roman hill-fort

Viveiro

A marina town that has preserved three gates from its old medieval wall, the most prominent of which is the Porta do Castelo. Its streets are lined with a collection of buildings formed by the church and the Convent of San Francisco, also declared a Historic-Artistic site.

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