Aragon Tourist Guide 2016

3/ LOARRE CASTLE

The castle of Loarre, another great Aragonese Roman- esque treasure, perches on top of a crag, close to the city of Huesca. This Romanesque castle is the best preserved in Europe, and visiting it conjures up a journey back to the Middle Ages. It has also been the setting for various films. Covering about 10,000 m2, its southern part is surrounded by a 13th-cen- tury wall, the rest being protected by the rock on which the fortress stands. Awalk through its interior, at 1,070mabove sea level, is an attractive tour through passageways, battle- ments and dungeons, finishing at the Mirador de la Reina, with its fantastic panoramic view over Hoya de Huesca. An unforgettable experience.

Modernist building in Teruel.

5/ ZARAGOZA: MUCH MORE THAN EL PILAR ON THE BANKS OF THE EBRO Thanks to its strategic location, the capital of the Ebro has been a crossroads during its more than two thou- sand years of history. It is a place where different cul- tures have lived side-by-side and which has become a dynamic, modern and welcoming city.. Founded by the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, it was one of the main Roman cities of Hispania, as attested by its walls, its old name (Caesaraugusta) and its numerous archaeological remains. Many of these have been turned intomuseums, such as the forum, the river port, the public baths and most notably the theatre, one of the largest of its time. Another of Zaragoza’s treasures is the splendid palace of La Aljafería, which is a complex of palaces from the 11th-century Islamic, the 14th-century Mudejar and the late 15th-century Gothic-Renaissance. A real gem

Loarre Castle.

4/ TERUEL: FROM MUDEJAR TO MODERNISM The Mudejar route through the city of lovers begins in the Cathedral of Santa Maria, whose coffered ceiling is considered the Sistine Chapel of Mudejar art. The Mudejar marvels continue as you gaze up at the tow- ers of San Martín, El Salvador, La Merced and San Pedro, which houses the famous Mausoleo de Los Amantes. But not everything is medieval in Teruel. There is also an interesting route of modernist architecture, exemplified in several buildings in the old town. And the grand finale of your visit is the beautiful neo-mudejar stairway of El Pa- seo del Óvalo. .

The Basilica del Pilar on the banks of the Ebro.

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