When Melissa and I stay somewhere for a while, we invariable ask ourselves, “Could we live here?”
In the case of Oviedo, a city in northern Spain where we recently spent a couple of weeks, the answer is definitely yes (if we didn’t mind being so far from our families and friends, which we do).
Oviedo is the capital of the Asturias, a narrow province wedged between the Atlantic Ocean to the north and a line of mountains called the Cordillera Cantabrica to the south. Asturias is proud of its long, independent history. Over the centuries, it managed to resist being fully assimilated by the Romans, their successors the Visigoths, and the Moors of North Africa. Thanks to a decisive victory in 722, Asturias is considered the cradle of the Reconquista—the 770-year process of Christian monarchs reconquering the Iberian Peninsula from the Muslim Moors.
The Kingdom of Asturias flourished in the 800s and early 900s, covering much of what is now northern Spain and bits of Portugal. Although centers of power later shifted south, Asturias still proudly calls itself the Principality of Asturias. With that slogan on every official thing, from government buildings to municipal garbage trucks, people are continually reminded that Asturias is a place of nobility. For centuries now, the heir to the Spanish throne has carried the title Prince or Princess of Asturias (just as the heir to the British throne is the Prince or Princess of Wales). So little Asturias—smaller than Connecticut and with just 2 percent of Spain’s population—has ways to feel important.
A region of rolling green pastures and orchards, Asturias is also famous throughout Spain for its dairy production and its apples, many of which are turned into alcoholic cider. Traditionally, the uncarbonated cider gets its fizz from being poured at a great height, so it’s aerated on its way to the glass. You can see servers demonstrating the famous pour at siderias (cider bars) all around Oviedo.
What makes Oviedo, a city of 220,000 people, so appealing? It’s a vibrant and dynamic place, small enough to not feel overwhelming but big enough to have plenty of shops and restaurants. (We found examples of culinary diversity that are rare in this part of Spain, such as a make-your-own salad place, a decent Thai restaurant, and a really good Indian restaurant.) The downtown is fun to walk around because there’s always something interesting to look at: lovely old buildings, historic churches, quirky shops, pretty fountains, and more outdoor sculpture than I’ve seen in any other city.
There’s a beautiful big park in the center of Oviedo with serpentine paths, tall specimen trees from around the world (we got a kick out of recognizing magnolia and sequoia trees from home), and shady benches where you can commune with nature or watch people go by. The city also has a student vibe from its university and lots of culture, including an excellent art museum and a symphony orchestra. The medieval quarter is full of small plazas, some lined with outdoor cafes and some home to daily produce and flea markets. And judging from the ads in real estate agents’ windows (which we always look at for fun), Oviedo is more reasonably priced than some other cities and towns in northern Spain. It also has a mild climate year-round and good transit links to the rest of northern Spain.
Other things that make Oviedo appealing are traits of Spain in general. There appears to be a good work/life balance. People get long lunch breaks (two hours is typical) and seem to have lots of time outside work to socialize. Whether people live in apartments or single-family homes, Spanish villages, towns, and city neighborhoods are compact by North American standards, with everything easy to get to. Many errands—everything from buying groceries to going to the bank, seeing a doctor, going to a yoga studio or gym, and even buying furniture and appliances—can be done on foot. Spanish towns are designed for walkability, with shops on the ground floor of apartment buildings and with offices and residences intermixed in a way that exists in only a few big cities in the United States.
Socializing mainly occurs out of the house: on park benches, in plazas (where kids kick balls or chase each other while adults chat), and in bars (which in Spain tend to be coffee shops and restaurants as much as places that serve alcohol). The extent to which life is lived outdoors is very appealing, especially as people age. Retirees who might be stuck at home in the United States, especially once they can no longer drive, typically spend much of each day walking to shops or sitting at outdoor cafes nursing a $2 cup of coffee or glass of wine and a snack while they catch up with friends or acquaintances and comment on the state of the world and the parade of people going by.
In the future, we’ll definitely keep an eye out for housesitting opportunities in Oviedo, as we’d love to come back to this very pleasant city. And if anyone is looking for a place to relocate in Europe, they should definitely add Oviedo to their list. Asturias recently topped a list of the safest regions in Spain, and it is expected to be one of the parts of the country least harmed by climate change.
One Saturday morning when I was getting groceries, along with what felt like half the city, I heard someone behind me say “wow” in a very American way when we spotted the long lines at the check-out lanes. Curious, I turned and said to the woman behind me in English that it seemed like everyone was doing their shopping that day. She eagerly engaged me in conversation and explained that she and her husband had retired to Oviedo the previous year from the Seattle area and were loving it. I noted that the weather was similar and that their money must go a lot further in Oviedo. She lit up and said “you get it!” while adding that their friends at home couldn’t understand why they would leave the Pacific Northwest.
Since they had arrived in Oviedo, she’d been eagerly looking for other Americans. So she was disappointed to hear that I’d be leaving the city in a few days. But who knows? Maybe someday I’ll come back to Oviedo for good.
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