Navarre

Navarre, originally called the Kingdom of Navarre, started off as part of what was once the kingdom of Pamplona. The exact history of how this province had its name and boundaries defined is still a little sketchy, but there are Basque connections, wars against the Moors, the intervention of the Knight Templars and many kings involved in its evolution.

Today Navarre is split between France and Spain (by the Pyrenees) and most of its inhabitants speak the Basque language. The modern day Navarre of Spain has a mixed feel with an architectural and cultural ancestry connected to the Jews and the Moors as well as its native inhabitants.

Tudela is Navarre's main city and has a cathedral and numerous churches of note. The city also has a mix of architecture ranging from the periods covering Gothic and Baroque and Romanesque and Renaissance. Tudela is also known for its many attractive squares, some close to museums and galleries and other adjacent to cafes. The city also has its fair share of manor houses, some of which are fine examples of the period and region.

Because of its size and limited association with tourism, Navarre receives little in the way of foreign holiday makers. There is very little internet information available on the province and although Tudela has an official website, it is not bi-lingual. This is a perennial problem in northern Spain, the cause being that in order to get funding and subsidies, these organisation need to promote tourism in their own language or dialect, not the one of their intended visitors!!!