When southern Spain trembles in heat, when dogs seem to be panting their last breaths in narrow bands of shade in the white villages of Andalusia, northern Spain keeps cool.
Its heart is Asturias, the old kingdom that makes Spanish hearts swell. This was the only part of the country never conquered by the Moors; even the Romans struggled to get much of a foothold. In Asturias, Spain becomes a dappled place of woods and tilting pastures, moderate temperatures and soothing winds, tumbling clouds, and deep valleys pitched between spectacular peaks.
