Aragon

Photo © JOSE_MARIA

Introduction

Zaragoza from Basillica de Nuestra señora del pilar

Aragon is one of the 17 autonomous regions in Spain. It is a region with a lot of diversity. In the north it has a border with France, and lies in the Pyrenees, while in the south you will find the arid plains of central Spain. Aragon is the heart of what was in the Middle Ages the Crown of Aragon, which also included regions like Valencia, Murcia, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Venice, the South of Italy, Sicily and some Greek colonies. In the 15th its King Ferdinand married Isabel of Castile and formed the Kingdom of Spain. Although it used to have its own language, Aragonese, and laws, over the centuries most of them were lost and it became more like Castile. Nowadays, Aragon, despite its large size, has a population of only 1 million, making it largely uninhabited, with the capital, Zaragoza, holding over half the population.

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Geography

Aragon is the fourth largest region in Spain, when measured in size. In the north it has an international border with France. In the east lies Catalonia and the Valencian Community, in the south and west are Castile-La Mancha and Castile and León and in the northwest you will find Navarre and Basque Country.

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Cities

Zaragoza

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Towns and villages

Torla - Gateway to the Ordesa National Park
Jaca - town near the French border. Interesting cathedral and citadel. Good base for seeing the area around - evening bus to Hecho, Siresa and Anso
Canfranc - Right on the border with France - bus through the Pyrenees to Oleron - Ste Marie
Hecho - Beautiful valley between mountains to the French border from here. A delightful village with a number of distinctive features. Evening bus only from Jaca.
Anso - Terminus of the bus from Jaca (above) after crossing mountains from Hecho. Another stunning valley
Siresa - A short distance up the valley from Hecho - a fine 9th century monastery (key available from above the bar.)

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Sights and Activities

The city of Zaragoza.
Monasterio de Piedra.
Hiking in the Pyrenees.

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Events and Festivals

Fiestas del Pilar

Las Fiestas del Pilar is the main festival in Zaragoza and starts on October 12th. It lasts for nine days with many events including an opening speech, bands, dances, procession of gignates y cabezubos that are figures made from papier mache, a final fireworks show over the Ebro River, and the bull festival. One of the more popular events is on the 12th when locals make a giant cloak of flowers for the Virgin.

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Getting There

By Plane

Zaragoza Airport (ZAZ) is a medium sized airport outside of the city of Zaragoza and the main gateway to Aragon by plane. It is also a Spanish Airforce Base and an emergency landing strip for the NASA Space Shuttle. There is a bus service that connects the airport to the city every half hour.
Currently, Air Europa flies to Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca and Tenerife-South, Air Nostrum to A Coruña, Frankfurt, Madrid and Paris-Orly, and Ryanair to Alicante, Brussels-South Charleroi, London-Stansted, Milan-Orio al Serio and Rome-Ciampino.

By Train

Intermodal Zaragoza Delicias Station is the main train station in Zaragoza. The city is on the Madrid to Barcelona Spanish High Speed railway line. Madrid is only 1 hour and 15 minutes by train and Barcelona is only 1 hour and 30 minutes. There are also long distance railway lines and local Cercanías lines, which are slower.

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Getting Around

By Car

Roads are really good in the region and its towns. Even if you go canyoning or other active sports, typically you don't need a 4x4, as you always leave car on a parking near starting point of activities.

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Language

Spanish is spoken in Aragon by the whole population.

Aragonese (Aragonese or Castilian: aragonés, also known as fabla), is spoken in the north, but is not recognized as an official language. This language is similar to Catalan and Castilian with some Basque and Occitan influences. Catalan is also spoken in the East of the region (Catalan: 'Franja de Ponent, literally West Strip, being West of Catalunya), though it has no official status.

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