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Zaragoza Cuisine:

Zaragoza's cuisine is simple and nutritious, strong and with lots of character.  It´s roots lie in local products like vegetables, meats and excellent wines.  The farms of Zaragoza provide delicious vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, thistles, courgettes, onions, green beans, borage and so on, which are essential in the making of emblematic dishes such as chicken stew and cod (with oil, garlic and peppers).  Pulses -specially white beans - potatoes, wonderful breads, olives, country-products like snails, frogs' legs and game meats are the ingredients of a healthy and delicious cuisine, authentic and very nutritious.

Not to be overlooked are the excellent fruits from the Ebro river valley, like the plums from the Lower Bank of the Ebro River, pears and apples from Almunia de Doñaa Godina, cherries from the Ribota Valley, apricots from Burgo de Ebro and the delicious local peaches.

About the Area

From the Aragonese capital you can tour the whole province of Zaragoza using different routes.

To the north of the city, Romanesque churches, medieval castles and palatial country houses make up the Five Towns route, although actually there are rather more of them than that.  The outstanding ones are Ejea de los Caballeros, Casiliscar, Uncastillo and Sos del Rey Católico.  Here, where Fernando el Católico (Ferdinand the Catholic) was born, there is also an excellent Parador de Turismo to add to its attractions.

To the west lies the county of Moncayo and the Natural Park with the same name.  Among oaks and beeches, you will find interesting places like Pedrola, Gallur and Borja. The Monastery of Veruela, a National Monument is a highlight on this route, where you can visit some good examples of Aragonese Mudejar.  Also important are the towns which sprang up around the Río Jalón, a county whose most important city is Calatayud.
Its five Arab castles and Goya paintings are some of the treasures it guards.  Meanwhile, Alhama de Aragón offers you the excellent facilities of the Monasterio de Piedra, a Cistercian monastery converted into a hotel, and many spas are located in this area.  A Wine Museum of the Calatayud Denomination of Origin is another product of this area.

To the south of Zaragoza lies another wine county, Cariñena, which also has its own denomination of origin.  Fuendetodos, the village where Francisco de Goya was born, awaits you among these Zaragozan vineyards.  Here you can visit his house and the Museum of Engraving.  A few kilometres away you reach Daroca, one of the most important monumental sites in the region.

Attractions

Plaza del Pilar - This vast square lined with magnificent examples of different architectural styles, is Zaragoza's most impressive attraction, and a good point from which to start exploring the city.

Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar - The enormous Baroque Basilica honouring the patron saint after whom half the female Spanish population is named, dominates the skyline with brilliantly coloured tiled domes.  Magnificent frescoes by Velasquez, Goya, and Francisco Bayeau adorn the interior and the original wooden pillar of the Basilica is encased in silver.  From the vantage point of the towers, visitors gain magnificent panoramic views of the surrounding Zaragoza.

Palacio de la Aljaferis - This awe-inspiring stone fortification was the inspiration for Verdi's opera, Il Travatore, and is just as spectacular today as it was after the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th Century.

Museo de Zaragoza - With an extensive collection of medieval Aragonite paintings and a room devoted entirely to Goya and his magical works of art, this is one museum no art lover should miss.