| Northern Spain and Galicia particularly has long been | | | | times. The tower is the world's oldest working |
| an undiscovered jewel in the whole of the Spanish | | | | lighthouse and has been the subject of a recent |
| tourism industry and within that undiscovered jewel in | | | | renovation project which has restored the lighthouse to |
| particular we are going to take a look at Coruna. | | | | almost its original splendour. The tower was originally |
| Overall of all of the autonomous regions of Spain | | | | built during the period of the Roman Emperor Trajan |
| possibly Galicia is the most remote and this makes | | | | but legend attributes the construction to Hercules |
| Coruna even more of an undiscovered treasure. | | | | which as has been proven is not quite true but is a |
| Traditionally, Galicia was seen as a poor agricultural | | | | splendid tale nonetheless. |
| region, whose economy did not lend itself to | | | | Coruna is also the birthplace to a local heroine of |
| modernisation and yet as far as tourism is concerned | | | | Galician folklore (in this case a story more |
| it is this constant contact with the past that gives the | | | | substantiated) Maria Pitt who it is alleged became a |
| region its appeal and charm. | | | | heroine overnight when she was the focal point and |
| The Galicians, whose origins are Celtic, are fiercely | | | | leader of the Galician Resistance to the English sailor |
| proud of their culture and language; it is what makes | | | | (and in this case probably privateer) Sir Francis Drake |
| them unique (they feel) within modern day Spain. | | | | when he raided Coruna in 1589. |
| It absorbed little in the way of outside influence being | | | | Coruna has been one of the most important ports |
| fiercely resistant to all forms of outside intervention | | | | within the whole country of Spain for centuries and is |
| (and we mean all forms of outside intervention), was | | | | one of the centres for the Spanish fishing fleet that |
| never conquered by the Moors, and in the Middle Ages | | | | travels as far away as fishing grounds off the coasts |
| fell under the control of the kingdom of Asturias. | | | | of Iceland and Canada. |
| Thankfully slowly throughout the 20th century Galicia | | | | Fishing is immensely important to the Spanish who |
| has begun to develop a way in which to manage the | | | | actually probably consume more seafood than any |
| traditional lifestyles with a modern community to | | | | other European country with the exception of Portugal. |
| ensure that none of its rich history is lost and this is | | | | The Galician fishing fleet which has been mentioned is |
| now starting to show very real and tangible benefits | | | | centred in Coruna and Vigo supplies near the half of |
| as far as the local tourism economy is concerned. | | | | the fish and shellfish caught and consumed in Spain. |
| Corona is the oldest town in Galicia. It is even | | | | The industry employs as a nation over 61,000 |
| mentioned in Irish Celtic folklore as the destination of | | | | fishermen and over 16,000 boats with as has been |
| the Celtic hero Breogan who apparently travelled to | | | | said more than 50 percent of the fleet based in Galicia |
| the Iberian Peninsula, landed and where he landed built | | | | so you can see that Fishing is immensely important to |
| a tower. | | | | the local economy. |
| There is a large tower outside Coruna, but this | | | | There is more to Coruna, in fact a whole lot more than |
| particular town is a famous lighthouse and is called the | | | | just fishing and the delights of Coruna are in fact many |
| Torres de Hercules and dates back from Roman | | | | and varied. |