Corunna's ancient lighthouse, the Torre de Hércules, has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Built by the Romans in the 1st century, it is the oldest lighthouse still in use in the world. Legend says that it marks the spot where Hercules buried the head and weapons of the slain giant Geryon.

A press release just in announces the inauguration of the Palace of Rubianes Hotel and Golf in the heart of the countryside of Asturias, and it really is mouth-watering. The four-star, 23-room hotel is appealing enough in itself, being a restored 16th-century manor house, complete with tower, water mill and hórreo (a kind of granary, raised on stilts, typical of Galicia and Asturias), 9-hole golf course, restaurant and aerodrome. But throw in the fabulous surroundings on the lower slopes of the Sierra de Sueve, home to a 1,000-year old yew forest, the oldest in Europe, and it becomes almost irresistible. The hotel has its own 200-hectare hunting estate (partridge, pheasant and pigeon), if that is your thing, and at hand, you have a local stud farm, the River Sella (famous for the annual descent by canoe), some of the best salmon fishing in Spain, and the gorgeous countryside of Asturias. Read the Palacio de Rubianes press release.

Seventeen caves in the north of Spain and their prehistoric drawings join Altamira as a World Heritage protected site. The site is now called the "Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain." From the visitor's point of view, the main advantage of the added caves is that most of them can be visited - Altamira itself cannot. The 17 new caves are in the Basque Country (3), Asturias (5) and especially Cantabria (9), where eight of the caves are open to the public, in limited numbers.

Show-biz magazine Variety is not my normal reading, but last week it chose to talk about Woody Allen's Cannes entry, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," under the headline above. The film is set in Asturias, and it is curious how closely Variety's cinematic take matches the visitor's. The article says the film "captures the region's near-surreal stillness, the lushness of its grass,." and quotes another director, Jim Box, as saying "Asturias is a filmmaker's dream. In less than 35 miles, you have beaches, mountains, snow, sand, rivers and forests." Doesn't that sound like a great place to discover, whether or not you have a film camera with you?

A little late, I learn that the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) Rip Curl girls are competing in Santander these days. The competion runs September 4th-9th, so you still have time to catch them if you are in the area this weekend, and the Dunes of Liencres (the Dunas de Liencres nature reserve) are quite lovely enough in themselves to make a visit worth the trouble. Read more.