The Pyrenean village where the Romanesque never left — Aragon's medieval perfection
Aínsa is a tiny fortified medieval village at the confluence of the Cinca and Ara rivers in the Aragonese Pre-Pyrenees — its 11th-century Romanesque church, arcaded central square, and intact city walls visible for miles in every direction as the village sits on a promontory above the valley. The Sobrarbe region's natural landscape starts immediately outside the walls: the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (one of Spain's first, UNESCO listed) is 30 minutes by car, and the canyon of the Río Ara directly below the village is a benchmark kayaking destination.
Aínsa was the first capital of the medieval Kingdom of Aragon — according to tradition, the Christian cross appeared in the sky here before the Battle of Aínsa (724 CE), a victory over the Moors that led to the foundation of the kingdom. The Romanesque church of Santa María (begun 1081) is one of the finest in Aragon and still has its original 12th-century crypt and bell tower intact. The village was declared a Conjunto Histórico-Artístico (historic site of national interest) by the Spanish government in 1965.