Introduction to the Province of Huesca
Huesca is a province in the north east of Spain, in the community of Aragon. With France and the Pyrenees Mountains to its north, it is a mountainous region with an unspoilt interior of forests, hills and rivers that remains very unspoilt. Huesca is a popular destination for winter sports aficionados, with skiing and ice climbing possible in the north and it also has a rich history and a gastronomy to match.

Huesca City
The province’s small capital city of Huesca has a fine mediaeval historic centre, the Casco Viejo, where the majority of its monuments and churches are to be found. The Casco Viejo is still today partly surrounded by 2km of the 14th Century original city walls, which were constructed not as just one but a double line of walls for added security.

Huesca’s Cathedral is a fine 13th Century example of Gothic architecture that was constructed on the former site of the city’s mosque. It has an incredibly stunning carved entrance depicting the Apostles. Other ecclesiastical monuments of note in the city include the 17th Century Church of San Lorenzo and the 12th Century Romanesque Monastery of San Pedro el Viejo with its cool, cloistered internal courtyard.

For a break from city life visit the Park of Miguel Servet where you will also find Huesca’s Botanic Garden or go to the Market Square to simply relax and people watch awhile.

Around Huesca City and Beyond
Beyond Huesca city, the province has everything for the visitor from pretty villages with fascinating histories and traditions to a rich flora and fauna and the excitement of winter sports in the north.

The castle at Loarre, 40km northwest of Huesca city, is probably Huesca’s, and possibly even one of Spain’s, most spectacular fortified mediaeval monuments. It is certainly a most imposing site, perched on its rocky outcrop and dominates the surrounding countryside for miles around.

The town of Barbastro, on the River Cinca, was where the union of Aragon and Catalunya was sealed in 1137. Its 16th Century Cathedral is a fine piece of Gothic architecture. Barbastro was also the birthplace of one Josemaria Escriva, the founder of the ultra-conservative Catholic movement of Opus Dei. Every March, the town holds a curious festival, the Fiesta del Crespillo. Crespillos are a local delicacy of borage leaves, which are battered, fried and liberally coated in sugar. During the fiesta, around 10,000 of these are made in the town’s streets and are distributed to all and sundry.

The National Park of Ordesa and Monte Perdido is a vast and dramatic Pyrenean landscape that was one of Spain’s first National Parks. It is a fantastic location for hiking and the landscape is dominated by the massive Monte Perdido, at a height of 3355m. The gateway to the Park is the small village of Torla and from where guided walking tours can be organised.

The Natural Reserve of Sierra y Cañones de Guara is one of Europe’s most highly protected areas due to the great number of bird colonies that it supports, but it is also a very popular place for the sport of canyoning and is a stunningly beautiful setting for hiking.

The Gastronomy of Huesca
The cuisine of Huesca is richly influenced by the produce from its land, which is a veritable market garden. Truffles and mushrooms, haricot beans, onions, chestnuts, asparagus, river fish, wild boar and fruit are all renowned food products from the region.

Typical dishes that you might encounter in Huesca include: Trucha con Jamon (trout with ham), Pollo al Chilindron (a chicken, tomato and bell pepper stew), Jabali Estofado con Trufas (a wild boar and truffle hotpot), Recao de Judias, Patatas y Arroz (a haricot bean, potato and rice dish enriched with chorizo), Flan de Manzana (an apple tart) and Trenza de Almudevar (a sweet pastry plait filled with nuts and raisins).

Marzipan chestnuts (Marrones de Massepain) are a sweet chestnut-shaped delicacy from Huesca, as are the above-mentioned Crespillos (sweet, battered borage leaves).

Radiquero cheese is a Huesca speciality, hand made from the milk of goats that are fed on berries and wild fruit in the Somontano region of the province.

Huesca also produces some fine wines particularly from the Barbastro region.

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