Oviedo is the capital of Asturias, the green, Celtic-tinged region on Spain's Atlantic coast. It is a university city with a well-preserved historic centre and one of the finest concentrations of pre-Romanesque architecture in Europe — a style of great historical importance, predating the Romanesque and Moorish influences that shaped the rest of medieval Spain. The city itself is small, clean, and prosperous, with a relaxed pace and a strong culture of sidra (cider) drinking in the old quarter.
The Gothic cathedral in the heart of Old Oviedo is the dominant monument, but the real treasures are outside the city: the pre-Romanesque churches of Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo on the slopes of Monte Naranco were built in the 9th century as a royal palace complex for King Ramiro I. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The walk up to them from the city takes about 30 minutes.
Oviedo is also famous as the home of the Princess of Asturias Awards — Spain's equivalent of a Nobel Prize for human rights, literature, arts, and science — awarded annually in October in the city's Teatro Campoamor.