Friday, July 11, 2014

Oviedo Old Town (1)

Thursday, 5th June 2014

Having walked the main shooping street of Oviedo which happens to be just one block away from our Hotel Room Mate Marco - we reached the edge of what looked like the city's green lung - the Parque de San Francisco. We found a tourist office at a corner of the park and decided to pay a visit to gather some information about the city. We obtained some maps to guide us in our walks and was recommended by a lovely girl at the tourist office to check out the nearby Old Quarter. We we recommended to visit the City Hall Square, the Market, the University and the Cathedral.




The Old Town is an extraordinary collection of ancient stone buildings some dating back to the 10th century.There are classy palaces, medieval walls,traditional  Asturian markets, flower markets, museums, colourful houses and historical structures.

It is a great area for a walkabout, enjoy the beautiful houses, visit art galleries, have drinks at the many bars, take a nibble of the culinary offerings or just sit by and enjoy the occasional street perfromances especially in the evening.



 this is the Palace of Justice? at a corner opposite 
the San Francisco Park as we entered the Old Town


 typical narrow street in the Old Town


 it was afternoon - quite hot and sunny so the street was not so busy

 Oviedo Ayuntamiento - City Hall located at the Plaza de la Constitucion
designed by Juan de Naveda 1671
almost destroyed in the Civil War (1936-1939)
rebuilt in 1940
predominantly Baroque style

 San Isidiro Church on the Plaza de la Constitucion
originally built in the 16th century as aprt of a larger Jesuits of St Matias
its adjoining school was destroyed in the 19th century to make way for the Fontan Market
what's left is a single nave church with a single tower
in classical style with Baroque touches

 boutique offerings on the balcony windows



No comments: