Being one with the past in Asturias | Tito Bustillo and Covadonga

Asturias, the very northern region of Spain, has a rich patrimony if you want to meet past, culture and nature in the same nostalgic point. The magic starts when you go to Ribadesella to visit the caves, considered part of the best archeological discoverings of all Europe.

Tito Bustillo Cave

Covadonga

There are a total of eight caves, in which Paleolitic art is found in three of them. The main one is called “Tito Bustillo”, with millions of years of antiquity, and the first paintings dating back to at least 18.000 years old to the 12.000 years of the latest ones. Here there are six galleries with paintings, but only the main one can be showed owing to the difficult access to the rest of them. A famous cave without paintings is the “Cuevona de Ardines”, and despite not having art it’s really worth seeing it: you can’t guess that, from a simple entrance, you’ll find that impressive interior; actually it can’t be described with words, only your eyes can make you understand the beauty of this place – if you dare to face the 170 stairs to get to it.

Covadonga lake

Another must of Asturias I’ll mention is Covadonga. Here it is located the temple in honor of the king Don Pelayo, who won the battle against the Muslims that tried to conquer the peninsula. In fact, his grave is placed there, where there is also a small monastery dedicated to the saint of Asturias, Covadonga. After this, you can visit the Lagos de Covadonga, two lakes called Enol and Ercina. When it’s misty, you feel like you’re back to the Celtic times.

Covadonga blue lake

Covadonga photos: desdeasturias, mmatsu20020, Vicente Garces, Angel.