Zaragoza, once the capital city of the independent Kingdom of Aragon is now administrative seat for the province with the same name. It used to be an important Roman colony under Emperor Augustus, and after the Arab conquest, it became one of the autonomous Muslim states in the penynsula known as a taifa kingdom. With a history of turmoil, war and conquest, Zaragoza is now the target of many foreign tourists.
Even the Christian history of Zaragoza was written in blood as it was the stage of two widely disputed martyrdoms of the Spanish Inquisition. It is also said that it was in Zaragoza that Virgin Mary appeared to Saint James the Great during the 1st century. The Holy Virgin is said to have been standing on a pillar. Afterwards the inhabitants of Zaragoza rendered the legend in the paintings of the famous Basilica Nuestra Senora Del Pilar.
The celebration shortly called by the Aragonese El Pilar begins on the 12th of October and lasts for nine wonderful days. If you happen to be in Zaragoza at the time, you’ll have the chance to see bull festivals, carnivals, open street music and dancing. At the very beginning of the celebration, there is the Flower Offering to Virgin Mary, consisting of taking a huge cloak of flowers to the basilica.
The Basilica is a most crowded attraction point, particularly in summer time. Near the basilica you can visit another beautiful church, La Seo Cathedral, built in the 14th century and housing the Museum of Trapestries. In the same neighbourhood, there are the ruins of the Roman defense wall that once surrounded the city.
The Gothic cathedral, Catedral de la Seo, prides with very remarkable chapels, invaluable from an artistical point of view. We should definitely mention Capilla de Don Lope de Luna, dating back to the 14th century. And there is also Basilica Goya, where tourists can admire some of Goya’s early works. All the paintings in it, are devoted to Maiden Mary.
If you’re a great art fan, then, there is El Greco, Goya, Van Dyck, Velazquez, Renoir and many other famous paintings exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts and Camon Aznar Museum. There are some of the best canvas collection in Spain, also attracting thousands of tourists, eager to see original famous paintings. Since you’re in the centre you will need to make some time to have a cup of coffee or a tapa in one of the many select bars.
Situated at some distance from the old centre of Zaragoza, Aljaferia Moorish Castles, is worth all visting effort, as it is one of the masterpieces of Arab architecture and the northernmost point of the Moorish extension in Spain. Taking a tour of the castle is one other ocasion to admire and recognize the great Muslim impact on the Spanish heritage.
As for pubs, restaurants and clubs, Zaragoza is anything but short of them. There are very ellegant pubs where you can quitely sip your drink. Try one typical night pub such as La Alcagueta; there are no chairs, only lots of people and very lound good dance music, the key ingredients to fun. There is no way for you not to enjoy Zaragoza, as, like many other cities in Spain it has the perfect mix to attract tourists: history, culture and fun.