León is the capital of the province of León in Castille and León. It is one of the cities along the Way of Saint James. It has 125.317 inhabitants. The climate of León is soft, generally warm and temperate, with rain throughout the year. Its annual average temperature is 11.2ºC.
León was influenced by the Romans and it was conquered by the Arabs in 717, but after it was reconquered again by the Christians, it was converted into a strongpoint of Christianity. Afterwards, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias and León in the twentieth century.
As part of the Way of Saint James since the twelfth century, the city was developed a lot thanks to the donations of the pilgrims. León has a rich history which can be seen on its monuments. By the end of the nineteenth century, we can see that Antonio Gaudi visited the city and built the famous Casa de Botines, one of his very few creations outside Catalonia.
The twentieth century was a period of development and expansion for León. Its university was founded in 1979. Its picturesque old part of the town has some monuments and places worth visiting by tourists such as the Basilica of San Isidro, a church of Romanesque and baroque style and the monumental Cathedral of Santa Maria, inspired by the Cathedral of Reims in France.
León is also a very modern city, with buildings such as the Auditorium and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Castille and León. It also has several bars and restaurants where we can taste “tapas” (Spanish appetizers) combined with trying various wines and other drinks.
One of the most attractive festivities of León is the Holy Week, declared as Festivity of International Tourist Interest. The folkloric fair Las Cabezadas takes place every last Sunday in April, as an expression of gratitude to San Isidro for the rain which dropped on León after a very long draught. In the last week of July the festivities of León include various activities such as the bonfires of Saint John.
In the Leonese cuisine we will find dishes whose main ingredients are the lamb, beef and pork. Some of these dishes are the roasted young lamb, the “cecina” (cured meat), pork sausages, venison, the Maragato Stew and many others.
