Aragon is an autonomous community of Spain located in the north of the country. It borders with France, Castilla-La Mancha, Castile and Leon, La Rioja, Navarra, Catalonia and Valencian Community. The main city is Zaragoza.
Aragon was occupied by the Romans. Then there were the Visigoths who formed the Visigothic Kingdom; then the Arabs, traces of which remain in the culture of the region.
The name Aragon comes from a river (Aragón Subordán). In the community there are three provinces: Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza. They speak different linguistical varieties: Castilian (the official language of Spain), the Aragonese and the Catalan of the Aragon.
The region’s climate is continental Mediterranean, but there are also microclimates due to its irregular orography.
Protected natural areas
In Aragon there are wonderful places to stay in contact with nature, to breathe fresh air and to do sports activities of all kinds.
- The Ordesa National Park and Monte Perdido is the second oldest national park in Spain.
- The Biosphere Reserve of Ordesa-Viñamala (UNESCO world heritage)
- The Moncayo Natural Park
- Natural Park of Sierra y Cañones de Guara
- Natural Park of Posets-Maladeta
- Natural Park of Valles Occidentales
- Nature reserves and protected landscapes
Cultural parks
Cultural parks are places of great historical, architectural and artistic interest. In the autonomous community of Aragon you can visit these wonderful places, which are: the Sierra de Albarracín, Maestrazgo, Río Martín, Río Vero and San Juan de la Peña.
- Albarracín: is a lovely and charming city for its architecture, its houses, the Cathedral and the wall. In the Sierra there are maritime pine forests, the Transhumance Museum of Guadalaviar.
- Maestrazgo: a name that comes from a time when the territory was controlled by the masters of the military orders that conquered Aragon in the Middle Ages. Many municipalities belong to this cultural park. Walking through these areas can be observed: the Grutas de Cristal (Crystal Caves), the ceramic products of Alcorisa, archeology in Mas de las Matas, the cave paintings in Santolea and Mosqueruela, and much more.
- Río Vero: an open-air museum that is part of world heritage of Spain for its painted caves that date back to the Paleolithic. There are many villages, some uninhabited, where you can find historical monuments: in Barbastro, for example, there is a splendid cathedral, the episcopal palace and baroque churches. In this impressive landscape you can go horse riding, on a bike, by car.
- In the cultural park of Río Martín there are spectacular gorges and ravines; archaeological sites, rock art scenes, fossils, forests and vineyards. Trails by foot or bike. Along the way you can meet points where you can see the landscape.
- Monastery of San Juan de la Peña: it is important because it was the first place where the Kings of Aragon were buried. From San Juan you can continue with trails by foot, by bike or horseback to observe the unique landscape that surrounds these places of great historical value.
Goya
Rebellious and brilliant artist, a painter from the peculiar dark shades, Francisco de Goya was born in March 30 of 1746, in the village of Fuendetodos, in the province of Zaragoza. There you can visit his birthplace.
In Alagón, in the House of Culture, Goya painted a fresco that decorates the ceiling of the internal stairs.
In the church of San Juan el Real in Calatayud, in the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de la Fuente in Muel, and in the San Juan Bautista church in Remolinos, Goya painted some frescoes.
In Zaragoza, in addition to the museum where there are exhibited paintings of Goya, there is the Cartuja de Aula Dei, where they are still visibles some paintings on the wall.
In the palace of the Duchess of Villahermosa in Pedrola and Huesca Museum there are other paintings of Goya.
Castles
The territory of Aragon is full of ancient castles, which still retained their original construction, such as:
- Loarre Castle;
- Aljafería Palace (Zaragoza);
- Templar castle (Monzón);
- castle of Papa Luna (Illueca);
- castle of Daroca;
- castle of Calatravos (Alcañiz);
- Peracense castle;
- castle of Mora de Rubielos;
- castle of Alquézar;
- Sádaba castle;
- Valderrobres Castle;
- castle of Albarracín;
- castle of Mesones de Isuela;
- castle of Trasmoz;
- Montearagón Castle;
- castle of Albalate del Arzobispo;
- Benabarre castle;
- Larrés castle;
- castle of Alcalá de la Selva;
- castle of Linares de Mora;
- Aliaga Castle.
Gastronomy
In Aragon are famous: the crumbs of the shepherd; the ternasco; the ham of Teruel; borage, wines with Designation of Origin, chicken in a pepper sauce, the ajoarriero cod, aragonesa style trout, cheese of Tronchón, cheeses of the Alcañiz, Samper de Calanda, Biescas, El Burgo de Ebro.
Among the desserts of Huesca province: the Almudévar plait, the Russian pastel, the marzipan chestnuts of Huesca; of the province of Teruel: Sighs of the Lover, the Piedrecicas del Calvario of Alcorisa and almojábanas of Albarracín; of the province of Zaragoza: the nougat guirlache, the adoquines del Pilar and tartas de balsa de Caspe.
