The palaces and churches in the surroundings of Oviedo have a unique architectural style, neither palaeo-Christian art nor a feature of Carolingian art. These churches, which are basilical in layout and entirely vaulted, and which make use of columns instead of piers, have very rich decors which contain Visigothic references, Arabic elements, and shapes that associate them with the great sanctuaries of Asia Minor. 

We visited **Santa María del Naranco (converted from an older house around 1000 AD) – Ninth-century Asturian court architecture, built by Ramiro I as a palace hall on the slopes of Monte Naranco: barrel-vaulted, buttressed, decorated with carved medallions. Two centuries earlier than most Romanesque structures.

Also nearby: the Jesus statue on Mont Naranco, and we had a great lunch with apple cider sangria and pork from furry pigs at **Ristorante Vista Alegre. The town below was large and not the most attractive, covered in a thick layer of smog.