Plaza de María Pita is the main square of La Coruña and the social heart of the city. The large rectangular plaza is surrounded by arcaded buildings and centred on a statue of María Pita, the sixteenth-century defender who became a city legend. The town hall, with its distinctive four-tower facade, anchors one side.
The plaza fills with cafes and restaurants under the arcades; the terrace seating is occupied on most evenings of the year, sheltered from rain by the porticos. The surrounding streets — particularly Calle Real and its continuation — are the main shopping and bar zone of the old city, lined with independent shops and traditional Galician bodegas.
The statue of María Pita at the centre shows her raising a pike above her head. The pose is theatrical but the story is rooted in a real if embellished incident from the 1589 siege.