There is a point on the road up Monte Naranco where Oviedo suddenly appears below you, and it is nothing like what you imagined. Spread across a valley of green hills, the capital of Asturias looks more like a country town than a city of two hundred thousand, with the cathedral tower in the middle and the sea hidden somewhere beyond the ridge. The hillside is a ride of about three kilometres from the centre, steady and winding, and it leads to one of Spain's best-loved medieval buildings.
Santa María del Naranco was built in the middle of the ninth century as part of a royal estate for King Ramiro I, and it was probably a palace hall rather than a church, only later converted to religious use. The building is a rectangle of pale stone, with an open arcaded balcony at either end, and the proportions are surprisingly graceful. Its carved decoration, with medallions and twisted ropes, is more refined than you might expect from a kingdom that was fighting for survival against the Moors. Together with the nearby church of San Miguel de Lillo, it is part of the Asturian pre-Romanesque group, listed by UNESCO in the 1980s.
The ride to the mountain from the city centre is short but pleasant, with some gentle bends and shady trees, and the view alone is worth it on a clear day. Visits to the interior are usually timed and ticketed, so check the arrangements before arriving, particularly on Mondays when some monuments close.
Come in late afternoon, if you can, when the light on the stone softens and the city turns gold below. Asturias is green because it rains, and the weather can change fast, so carry a waterproof even when the morning looks fine.
Oviedo has all the fuel, food and rooms a rider could want. This is cider country, and the traditional bars pour it from a height, so wait for a proper sidrería and order a bottle with some fabada, the big white bean stew that is the local pride.