TRAVEL FEATURE - SPAIN
FRANCESCO CICCARELLO ( W ) / SERENA BARONCINI ( P )
THE LUCK OF DISCOVERY
No one knows exactly the origins of the Basque people who have occupied this part of Spain since before any known migrations . Guardians of the oldest language in Europe , just think that not even the Roman invaders were able to change the language in use . They are considered the first stable inhabitants of the Iberian peninsula and are very different in culture and traditions from the Spanish .
For centuries , through the ancient Basque laws called fueros , the inhabitants enjoyed wide margins of autonomy . With the advent of the Franco regime , the use of these laws , the study of the language and any form of local culture were prohibited . The ETA ( Basque Land and Freedom ) movement was born in contrast to the harsh repression and continued to fight , even violently , after the dictator ' s death under the request for total independence . Only in recent times has any form of armed struggle been abandoned even though the Basques continue to hold onto their independence very tightly .
Crossing the border with France , the bilingual signs , the Basque flags and the huge murals along the viaducts introduce us to the cultural climate of the autonomous community of Euskadi . From the panoramic point of Monte Urgull San Sabastian appears to us framed between golden beaches and verdant hills . The city is one of the undisputed tourist destinations of the Basque coast but to the crowds of Playa della Concha we prefer the more peaceful Playa de Ondarreta where we discover , with great amazement , the mildness of the Atlantic waters . In the Vieja part , a maze of pedestrian streets where the concentration of pintxos bars ( tapas in Basque ) attracts locals and tourists all curious to taste the latest news with a good local wine after a day
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