One of the routes starts in the town where I live and is over 1,100 years old! The rivers and forests also provide natural resources like coal and steel. Mining has been an important industry in Asturias for a long time. I got to see some old mining trains during my visit to the railway museum!
While the mountains provide scenery and resources, the sea provides even more fun, tourism and seafood. Seafood like fresh crab, squid, shrimp and seabass are special foods here. However, the sea is not the only source of food in Asturias. Because of its rich pastures, animals like cows and sheep help make the cheese Asturias is famous for.
Since the region has so many mountains, building roads to connect towns can be difficult. Because of this, many places in Asturias are considered rural or isolated. The small number of industries can also mean fewer job opportunities, so populations are smaller. Lastly, heavy rainfall, storms or floods can cause problems in daily life.
The Asturian people and culture have a special way of using the natural landscape in their daily lives and buildings. Because of the heavy rainfall (remember, it rains almost all winter long here), houses are built with steeper roofs to move rain away from homes. If you walk around neighborhoods, you will see hórreos (grain houses), which are traditional structures that can store food like grains high off the ground to keep them dry. Think of them like an entire outdoor pantry! Architects design tunnels and bridges in and around the mountains to connect people and places.
